Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Someone Else's Memories
by RoseblossomWarrior
Summary: What if Dialga didn't grant your partner's wish? Well, not in the exact way your parter wanted. Join Tide the Piplup and the inhabitants of Treasure Town as a twist in post-plot takes them from Treasure Town's beach to as far away as tomorrow. PMDSky
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!**

**A/N Hello, everyone! I'm back, taking a break from The Pokemon Shapeshifter, and putting out a Mystery Dungeon story! I hope you like this one. It's based off of the PMD2 storyline, so I suggest that you finish the game before you read this.**

**Prologue**

_There is a land, a land far away from our human domain. A land where the only humans that walk are in legend. This land is the world of Pokemon. And as you read this tale, you will learn that even if one small decision, or in this case, a large decision, is changed, it can make the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, life and death._

**---**

Tears cascaded down the Piplup's cheeks, soaking into the already drenched sand of the beach. Sobs wracked the penguin Pokemon's body as he tried to speak.

"Olivia...why- why did you leave? Y-you didn't have to leave..."

A new Pokemon, by the name of Bidoof, came down the beach path. Startled at the sight of his guild member lying on the sand, the plump mouse Pokemon rushed to his friend's side.

"Tide?" Bidoof asked. "What's wrong?"

"Olivia..." the Piplup, Tide, sobbed hysterically. "Olivia!"

Tide was desperately wishing for the return of his friend. He knew it was impossible. Olivia the Charmander was gone. Once human of the future, and now a Pokemon of the past. It was over. Tide and Olivia's journey to the Hidden Land to stop the destruction of time was done. First Grovyle had left, but that was absolutely nothing compared to the loss of Olivia. She was gone. And Tide had never felt so alone.

"Olivia!"

**---**

From the pinnacle of Temporal Tower, Dialga silently watched as, slowly but surely, Bidoof calmed his friend and led him back to the guild. Turning his gaze toward the Sea of Time, he watched the transparent waves of Olivia and Grovyle.

Ever so carefully, he picked up a pebble from the rubble of his recent 'rampage' in his jaws, and set it on the altar of his tower. He closed his eyes, and in a flash of blue light, the pebble was gone.

Turning back towards the Sea of Time, Dialga watched the sun's dying rays fade, and awaited the dawn of the new tomorrow.

* * *

**RoseblossomWarrior presents:**

**Someone Else's Memories**

* * *

A/N I can just hear the opening of PMD2. Remember, the Review button is your friend!


	2. Well

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!**

**Okay, let's see...**

**To Legendary Fairy: I have a place in mind for your OC. I don't usually use OCs, and if I do use yours, it would be a minor role.**

**To Glacial Eidolon: You're not exactly getting the point right, but you're kind of close. I know I'm not the best writer in the world, especially in length. This is over 1,000 words, but not nearly as long as I would like. And trust me, I will be using my "artistic license."**

**One: What...**

Chansey smiled. "Of course I'll take care of your Egg. After all, it's what I do." She took the blue-and-white Egg from the Altaria. "How long will you need my services?" she asked as she pulled a clipboard out from her pouch.

"Just a week," answered her client. "I'm going to see my mate and bring him home. He's exploring in the mountains."

Chansey nodded as she wrote down the details of her client. She counted the number of Eggs in her protection from her clipboard. Twelve. How easy.

"Thank you," Chansey said. The Altaria flew up into the sky.

Turning back into her day care, Chansey chose a nest for the Egg. Checking her schedule, she realized that she would have no pick-ups until tomorrow. Sighing in relief, she sat in her rocking chair and awaited the food delivery from the Kecleon Shop.

Slightly weary, she counted all the Eggs she had. Ten...eleven...twelve...thirteen? She counted again... Thirteen. Checking the Egg colors she had recorded on her clipboard, she located the "extra".

It wasn't in a nest. Rather, it lay on its side, on the floor. Chansey picked it up and studied it. It was smaller than the other Eggs. It was tan in color, like a stone. At first touch, it was cool, but with each passing minute it grew warmer.

Chansey put down the Egg in a nest and scratched her head. This had never happened before. She had never lost an Egg, and she certainly had never taken in an Egg she didn't record or remember.

Shaking her head, she recorded the Egg down, in case she really had forgotten about the Egg. When she was done, she took out her stethoscope and listened to the heartbeat inside the Egg. To her surprise, it came out loud and clearly, the way it would when the Egg would be about to hatch.

Getting nervous, she took the Egg and headed out of her home. Hailing down Spoink in the road, she explained that she was going out for an errand and needed Spoink to look after the Eggs for a little while.

"Sure," said Spoink, puzzled. But even before she finished, Chansey was hurrying across the bridge.

Reaching Kangaskhan Storage, she knocked on the door. After a minute, the slightly elderly Kangaskhan opened the door. Chansey hurried inside without explanation.

Grunting with surprise, Kangaskhan closed the door and turned to Chansey. "What is it?"

Chansey handed her the Egg. "I found this in my house. It wasn't recorded, and I've never seen it before. Plus, it's going to hatch soon." Suddenly turning shy, she added, "I don't know what to do."

Kangaskhan bit her lip, thinking. _Was she really not thinking about doing that?_ "No one owns that Egg?" she asked.

"Not that I know of."

"Why don't you suggest it join an exploration team when it hatches?" Kangaskhan asked. She secretly wondered why her friend had not thought of that before.

"Well," Chansey said, her cheeks turning a little red, as if she just realized that that was what she should have done. But in that moment, the Egg started to glow...

**---**

Tide recited the guild motto with a bored expression. "Smiles go for miles." No smile decorated his face. Just a flat line on his beak.

"Before you all leave," Chatot announced, "the Guildmaster and I have decided that Sunflora is ready to graduate from the guild."

Several shouts of congratulations came from the guild apprentices. The loudest of all came from Sunflora herself, with a loud eek. Guildmaster Wigglytuff, his belly round and his cheeks wet from the juice of his morning apple, stepped forward.

"To graduate from the guild, you, Sunflora, friendly friend, must travel to through Mystifying Forest to Luminous Spring, and bring back its treasure."

Tide envied Sunflora a little. Graduating from the guild meant that you were going to be recognized solely as your own exploration team. But mostly, Tide was jealous because Sunflora wouldn't have to train all day long.

"Be warned," Chatot added. "There is a _very_ tough enemy that you could encounter in the forest. The grand master of all things bad."

"Who's the grand master of all things bad?" Bidoof asked, puzzled.

Loudred shivered a little. "The grand master of all things BAD is horrible. If you enter his lair, he and his minions will make sure you NEVER come back. And when you leave, you'll be crying for... MOMMY!" Loudred jumped into the air, then dashed off toward the mess hall.

"Eh... What's his problem?" Tide asked, slightly perplexed.

"He took the graduation exam, like, last year," Sunflora said, as if that answered everything.

Chimecho elaborated. "He didn't bring back any treasure. He ran into the grand master." Chimecho giggle to herself a little.

"You are dismissed from briefing," Chatot announced. As the apprentices headed to do their duties, Chatot called, "Tide! Bidoof!"

Tide walked over to Chatot, Bidoof trailing behind. _I hope it's not something too serious,_ Tide thought. _Can you get kicked out of Wigglytuff's guild?_

"Tide, Bidoof," Chatot said, pulling something out from the pouch around his neck and handing it to Tide. "I want you both to buy apples to bring back here. Twenty should do."

Tide looked at what Chatot had given to him. Five hundred Pokedollars!

"Come back as soon as you get the apples," Chatot directed. "We need them for our trip to Mystifying Forest."

Bidoof cocked his head to the side. "Why are we going to Mystifying Forest?"

"For the graduation exam. If Sunflora can beat the entire guild, then she can continue to Luminous Spring and collect the treasure to graduate. Of course, we make her believe that Wigglytuff is the grand master, and we are his minions." Chatot flapped his wings. "Quickly now! Go!"

Tide and Bidoof climbed the ladder as quickly as they could to the top. Walking quickly outside and down the stairs, Tide and Bidoof came to the crossroads and turned right into Treasure Town.

The town was lively, with many different kinds of Pokemon taking their time going between the various shops. Teddiusa was talking to Duskull at the bank, with Ursaring standing nearby and eating a berry. Swellow and Wurmple of Team Tasty were heading into Marowak's Dojo. Togepi, Ledyba and Politoed were linking moves at Electivire's Link Shop. Murkrow and Shuppet were getting a treasure box appraised at Xatu's Appraisal, and Team AWD stood outside the Kecleon Shop, talking to each other in whispered tones. The only Pokemon missing from their shops were Chansey and Kangaskhan.

Making their way through the town, Tide and Bidoof didn't speak a word to each other, although their spirits were always lifted when they came into Treasure Town. Arriving at the Kecleon Shop, Tide gave Chatot's Pokedollars to the green Kecleon brother. "Twenty apples please," Tide said.

"Twenty?" Kecleon asked, gathering up the money. "Is it time for another guild graduation?" Kecleon went to the back of his store and picked all the apples he could carry out of a barrel. His brother went to help him.

"Yeah," Bidoof answered. His ears pricked, and his head whipped around. "Ah! Tide, look, it's Sunflora!"

Tide glanced in the direction Bidoof was looking. Sunflora was getting money from Duskull's bank. He put his Treasure Bag up on the counter. "Hurry, Kecleon! Sunflora's com-"

Tide stopped mid-sentence. Turning around from the counter, he clutched at his throat with his flippers. He doubled over, opened his beak, and spewed a rather colorful bile onto the ground. Now clutching at his stomach, he fell over onto his side, taking deep, rasping breaths.

_Aw, Mew,_ he thought,_ what..._

**A/N Eww... Tide threw up.**


	3. False Alarm

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!!!**

**I am back. This took a while, but that was because of homework. Yay for summer vacation!**

**Two: False Alarm**

Kangaskhan and Chansey tensely waited for the Egg to hatch. It glowed white, almost blinding, when suddenly, it stopped. The Egg hadn't changed; it was just an Egg, although Kangskan thought it was a little larger than it was before.

"Why didn't it hatch?" Kangaskhan asked, bringing the Egg up close to her face. Although the Egg was warmer than it was a few minutes ago, Kangaskhan's callused hands acted like gloves.

"I don't know," Chansey said, equally as puzzled as Kangashkhan. "I've never seen that happen before. The only time Eggs glow is when they hatch."

Kangaskhan put the Egg up to her ear. "I can still hear it's heartbeat."

**"**Thank Mew it's not dead," Chansey sighed in relief. She blinked, and looked up at Kangaskhan. "You don't think something's wrong with it, do you?"

Kangaskhan frowned. "Perhaps we should see if a Magmar can help us hatch this sooner, or get a Pokemon like Luxray to see if it is al-"

Kangaskhan was interrupted by the sound of shouting, coming from outside. Giving the Egg to Chansey, she hurried to the door to open it and look outside.

Just outside by the Kecleon Shop, a mass of Pokemon surrounded something that was blocked from Kangaskhan's view. Pushing past the other Pokemon, Kangaskhan made her way to the center of the group, to see a familiar figure on the ground. It was Tide!

Avoiding the puke on the ground, Kangaskhanpicked Tide up into her arms, as if he were as light as a feather- which he almost was, as he had been eating slightly less since returning from Temporal Tower.

Chansey, who had placed the Egg in her pouch, followed Kangaskhan as the Parent Pokemon carried Tide toward Wigglytuff's Guild.

**---**

Bidoof watched, dumbstruck, as Kangaskhan carried Tide off toward the guild. He didn't have to stand awkwardly for long - Sunflora came up to him soon after the retreating figures of Kangaskhan and Chansey were tiny dots.

"What was that about?" the Sun Pokemon asked worriedly.

"We were stocking up on app- uh, supplies when Tide... threw up." Bidoof remembered just in time that they weren't allowed to let Sunflora know about the guild's role in her graduation. "I am mighty worried about Tide..."

Sunflora nodded. "I'm not going to Mystifying Forest until I know Tide's all right. I'll go back to the guild." By now, the Pokemon who had surrounded Tide had disappeared from the site, thanks to the Kecleon brothers, who were cleaning up Tide's mess with grimaces on their faces. Sunflora picked up her pink Treasure Bag and made her way back to the guild.

For once making sure that he had all the apples in the bag (for Bidoof was rather forgetful) Bidoof took Tide's Treasure Bag and headed back to the guild.

**---**

"...I do hope he's okay..."

"...was it something he ate..."

"...since Olivia..."

Tide heard almost all the words being said around him. Half in the sleeping world, and half in the waking world, he was aware of them both. He knew that in the waking world, he was in his bed of hay, and was surrounded by at least four Pokemon. But in the sleeping world, all sorts of odd colors shifted and shaped themselves. Sometimes, he could see the shape of an all too familiar Charmander...

"Tide? Tide! Can you wake up?"

Tide struggled to awaken. On the edge of his hearing, the the waking world, he heard the sound of a Heal Bell. His eyes snapped open, and the sleeping world was snatched from his mind. Around him in his room was the Guildmaster Wigglytuff, Chatot, Chimecho, Kangaskhan, Chansey, and Bidoof, who had recently become Tide's roommate.

"W-what happened?" Tide asked groggily. Then he stiffened. "What about Sunflora's graduation? I didn't miss it, did I?"

"You've only been out for a few minutes," Chimecho explained. "Kangaskhan brought you all the way here from the Kecleon brothers' shop!"

"Sunflora hasn't left yet," Chatot added. "Although we are all ready to leave when she does."

Tide sat up. "Can I go?" he pleaded. He longed for something exciting. He didn't want to spend his whole day couped up in the guild!

Wigglytuff nodded. "You can go."

Tide smiled. "Thanks, Guildmaster!"

Wigglytuff shook his head. "But I'm not allowing you to fight. You can keep watch."

Chansey, who apparently had come with Kangaskhan, opened up Tide's eyes and looked at each of them. When she was done, she announced, "It was probably just something you ate that made you throw up."

Chatot nodded. "Well, if he's okay, why don't we get this show on the road?"

He and the Guildmaster led the way out of Tide and Bidoof's bedroom, Tide himself taking up the rear alongside Kangaskhan and Chansey.

As they made their way down the hall, Tide asked, "Why did you come here with Kangaskhan, Chansey? Don't you have Eggs to look after?"

"I was visiting Kangaskhan," Chansey replied. "I was showing her this." She pulled a stone-colored Egg out of her pouch and handed it to Tide. It was very warm. "It doesn't belong to anybody," Chansey explained. "I found it, and I'm going to care for it until it hatches. Maybe it'll join your exploration team?"

Although Tide couldn't quite tell if that last sentence Chansey said was rhetorical or not, he answered, "Maybe." He gave the Egg back to Chansey, who put it in her pouch again.

When they emerged from the hallway into the second basement floor, Tide was surprised to see the whole guild crew massing in the room. Croagunk, Corphish, Loudred...everyone.

"Is Tide, like, okay?" Sunflora asked.

Tide moved swerved between Bidoof and Chimecho. "I'm fine!" he said with a smile. "Sunflora, you should go to the Spring and get that treasure!"

Sunflora nodded, and excitedly climbed up the ladder, Chansey and Kangaskhan following close behind. A few moments later, Diglett, who had taken his sentry post, popped out of the ground.

"They're gone!" he reported.

Chatot clapped his wings together. "Good. I'll lock up, and Guildmaster, you can show them the secret passageway to Luminous Spring." With that, the bird launched himself into the air and up to the next floor.

Tide tipped his head to the side. "A secret passage? Where?"

Wigglytuff led the apprentices into his study, and waited until they were quiet. Tide wondered whether they were actually going to Luminous Spring. And that raised a thought in his mind.

"If Sunflora helped with Loudred's graduation, why doesn't she know that we'll fight her?" he asked.

Wigglytuff's ears pricked, but other than that he pretended not to hear Tide. Instead, he turned and pushed one of his treasure chests against the wall. Tide's eyes widened. Where the treasure chest had been, was a stone door! Wigglytuff then grasped the handle and pulled, easily opening the door.

"Let's go, friendly friends!" he beckoned cheerfully before leading the way down the tunnel. Loudred, after handing the Treasure Bag to Tide, followed first. The rest of the guild followed, Bidoof and Tide the last to enter the stone tunnel, but they were soon followed by Chatot.

The tunnel was made of stone. It was rough, and mostly straight, with lights tied to a string extending down the hallway. The walls were slightly wet, and it was large enough for a Magmortar to just barely walk through without bending its head.

Tide glanced back at Chatot as they made their way down the seemingly endless tunnel. "Why do we have to bring so many apples with us?"

"Because," Chatot said in a matter-of-fact tone, "this tunnel almost goes under Mystifying Forest, but the affect of running down the stomach works here. Also," he added, concern in his eyes, "are you sure you feel okay?"

Tide's temper rose a little. "Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be? It was probably something I ate."

Chatot said nothing for the rest of the journey through the tunnel. But the apprentices, however, couldn't stop chattering to one another. The topics varied from Sunflora's graduation to the short and rather loud topic of Loudred's hygiene habits.

Tide's apples went like free Poke. As soon as one Pokemon took an apple, another Pokemon was in line to gobble up an apple.

About half an hour into the trek, Loudred asked, "Hey, GUILDMASTER! Are we there YET?"

"Almost," Wigglytuff replied cheerily. "Just about five minutes."

Now that they were nearing the end of their journey, the apprentices set out in a full-blown sprint. After a few minutes, Loudred, who was in front of Tide, suddenly stopped. Tide, unable to stop, careened into him, causing himself to fall on his back. Quickly, the little Penguin Pokemon jumped back to his feet.

"What's happening?" he asked. He stood on tiptoe, but he couldn't see around Loudred's ears.

"We're HERE!" Loudred answered, jumping into the air. Soon he followed the apprentices in front of him, and Tide saw that they were in a cavern, with a large circular hole at the top. The walls were bare, curved earth. A rickety rung ladder hung down from the left side of the circular roof-hole, where, for as far as Tide knew, lead into the blue sky.

Tide stared in wonder, until Chatot came up to him. "We're going to set up the pitfall," the bird announced. "You and Bidoof keep watch up above. When you see Sunflora, signal to Bidoof, who will come back down here to help us fight. Got it?"

Tide nodded, slightly frustrated that he couldn't help to fight. _But I don't want to get sick again. _Turning to Bidoof, who was still staring at the hole in the ceiling, he said, "C'mon, Bidoof! We're keeping watch!"

Bidoof jumped, then shook himself, as if to get rid of a bad dream. He followed Tide over to the rung ladder.

As soon as Tide started to climb, he began to have doubts. The wooden rungs creaked under his weight, and the ladder wobbled. It seemed forever until, after one last creaky rung, Tide reached up to feel grass. Pulling himself up, he turned to watch Bidoof's progress. The Plump Mouse actually climbed swiftly, for a four-legged Pokemon. Soon he was at the top, beside Tide.

"Where will ya keep watch?" Bidoof asked in his southern-like accent.

Tide looked around, to realise that they were in a clearing, surrounded by tall trees. Noticing that the tallest was a pine, with many branches for footholds, he pointed and said, "There."

To his relief, the pine did not creak or sway like the ladder. Instead, the tree was so sturdy Tide forgot all about the ladder. His only problem was the needles; they kept shoving into his face every time the wind pushed them.

When Tide finally reached the last sturdy branch, he sat down, and sighed in relief. But when he looked around, he clutched at the tree.

He was at least twenty feet off the ground. Groups of Pidgeys flew over him, and the clouds seemed far too close. He looked to the ground, happy to find that his stomach wasn't churning with apprehension. He spotted Bidoof, beside the hole. Tide's roommate looked barely the size of a Poke!

Tide shook his head. _I've been higher than this on the Rainbow Stoneship, and that thing was moving!_

Still a little dizzy from the altitude, Tide watched as his guild members set up the pitfall, which was basically a tarp with leaves, grass, and twigs on it over the hole to the tunnel. Yawning, he turned to look at the trees in Mystifying Forest. They were hazy, and even the nearest trees inside the Forest border were dull-colored. He blinked, and the trees were shaped differently. This didn't surprise Tide. He had learned about mystery dungeons when he was a hatchling, from his grandfather Seasalt Steel the Empoleon, Salty for short.

"_On the outside, dungeons never look the same twice," _Salty had said once. "_Neither on the inside too. The difference is, whenever you're looking at the outside of the dungeon, the scenery changes whenever you blink. But on the inside, the dungeon only changes whenever you enter another section of the dungeon."_

Tide saw a flash of yellow, and he looked down to see Sunflora emerge from the trees behind him. Turning to Bidoof, he waved his flipper. Bidoof nodded, then scurried under the pitfall tarp.

Tide watched as Sunflora made her way across the clearing, searching for the treasure of Luminous Spring. Tide frowned. Shouldn't _he _be the one graduating? He had saved the world, after all. Didn't he deserve to graduate more than Sunflora.

The answer came to him in a name. _Olivia._ Tide looked into the sky. He was only one Pokemon responsible for saving the world. The other was Olivia. Always Olivia. Tide knew that he was worthless without her.

Tide heard Sunflora yelp. He knew she had fallen into the pitfall, but he didn't care. He was already lost in memories.

* * *

**Okay, this took a while to write. I thought this would be like, 3,000 words, but it's only about 2,170. Oh well, I'll try for a longer chapter next time.**

***Sigh* This chapter didn't feel like Tide at all. I'm going to work on that. Anyways, in some chapters, there may be many different viewpoints, but in the _way_ future ones, it will probably revolve around one character.**


	4. Tide Takes a Razor Leaf to the Face

**!!!DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!!!**

**Hey guys, sorry for taking so long xD I've been busy/procrasinating. Haha, I'm so irresponsible. I've finally gotten my own laptop (YAYS) so now I don't have to borrow my mom's. Anyways, here's the update you guys have been waiting so long for!**

* * *

**Three: Tide Takes a Razor Leaf to the Face**

Chansey studied the Eggs in her care. Occasionally, one of them would twitch in their nests, but Chansey had learned long ago that that was normal. Instead, she picked up the stone-colored one and examined it.

The Egg had grown slightly since this morning, when she first saw it. Now, after Chansey's lunch, it was about… a pound or two heavier. Chansey knew that this wasn't the best sign in the world. Abnormal Egg growth -be it growing excessively or barely at all- wasn't good for the health of the Pokemon. Not only was it so large, but now it was warm- somewhat like touching a heated lamp. Warm, not quite to hot, but you couldn't hold it for long. Chansey set it back in its nest.

The only thing she was sure about that mystery Egg was that it held a Fire type.

---

Bidoof flinched as a spray of leaves rocketed toward him at terrifying speeds. The green projectiles sliced at his nose and the rest of his already battered body. Exhausted- and terrified- he scrambled back towards the wall, admitting defeat. Sunflora was just too strong for him, even with the whole guild battling her. Well, not the _whole_ guild- Tide was keeping watch in the pine tree, safe from Sunflora's attacks since he was sick.

Bidoof watched as Sunflora shot more leaves toward Chimecho. A few hit her, but several missed, and headed straight at Bidoof. With a yelp, Bidoof scurried under the tarp that Sunflora "brought" down from above. The Razor Leaves pounded on the tarp, but thankfully didn't slash through it. Bidoof, still scared out of his fur, peeked out from under the tarp.

The only other Pokemon that was done battling was Diglett, so Sunflora was still surrounded by most of the guild. Loudred shot a Hyper Voice at the Sun Pokemon. She braced herself against the attack, momentarily immobilized. Chatot spiraled in from overhead, and Pecked at Sunflora. Sunflora shot another volley of leaves at Chatot, sending him flying into the wall, but not knocked out.

Corphish projected a Bubblebeam at Sunflora. Although it hit her square in the chest, she was barely fazed. She aimed carefully yet quickly, and hurled more leaves toward Corphish. Immediately, Corphish set up a Protect. The Razor Leaves ricocheted off of the Protect, and flew off into the air, outside of the pit.

But soon Corphish's Protect faded, and Sunflora defeated him with a Giga Drain. Bidoof watched as Sunflora turned and continued to battle the rest of the guild.

---

Tide continued to watch the clouds, mesmerized. Over to his right he saw one that looked like a gigantic treasure chest overflowing with jewels. Next to that cloud, he could see one that he swore looked just like him. But his mood continued to be gloomy. One cloud that he _didn't_see was the cloud that looked like Olivia. No, there wasn't a Charmander in the sky- nor a cloud one that looked like a human.

Down below, he heard the hum of battle coming from the pit trap. In fact, the noise was _very_ loud, the low hum quickly becoming a loud whizzing. Startled, Tide sat up and- _**Wham!**_

Razor Leaves pummeled his face, sending him backward. Tide expected to land on his branch, but his fall went farther than that. The horrifying sensation of falling overtook him, and then- _**Wham!**_ He bounced off a branch. Tide wanted to cry out, but his face was frozen. _Everything_ about was frozen. He continued to plummet, and he felt pine needles rake his thick coat feathers. _**Wham!**_ Tide bounced off another branch, and then finally landed in a holly bush.

Tide scrambled out of the bush; thankful his feathers prevented the prickly holly leaves from poking at his skin. When he emerged from the bush, a leaf was covering his face. Annoyed, he blew it off. "This is not my day," he grumbled as he rose to his flipper feet.

Quickly, Tide assessed his injuries. Luckily, nothing was broken (he thanked Mew for that) but he was pretty battered, and sure that he was going to have many bruises.

It took a minute for Tide to catch his breath that he'd been holding when he fell, but when he did, he realized that he wasn't in the clearing. In fact, he couldn't see the pine that he'd been sitting in.

_Please… Please no…_

Tide looked around desperately for his Treasure Bag. If he really was where he thought he was…

Tide swore. His words were more colorful than his upchuck earlier. He couldn't find his Treasure Bag. Desperate, he pushed his way through the undergrowth in the direction he thought was the clearing. Instead, he came along a thin path.

**Mystifying Forest, Who Knows Where Section**

Now Tide was fuming. He'd fallen into Mystifying Forest! He was stuck until he could find the exit. And, he had no Treasure Bag!

A rustling sound came from up ahead. Wary, Tide looked for what made the sound. A Munchlax stumbled out of the undergrowth. Its head whipped from side to side, until it spotted Tide.

"Munch?" The voice was male, and Tide knew that the Munchlax wasn't repeating its own name.

Slightly panicked, Tide sent a Bubblebeam to blast the Big Eater Pokemon. The Munchlax was thrown back a few feet, now afraid. Even from just one attack, the low-level Munchlax was done. It scurried away into the bushes on the side of the path.

Tide sighed in relief. He hoped all Pokemon were as weak as the Munchlax.

But, of course, that wasn't true.

**---**

Bidoof watched, still under the tarp, as Sunflora battled the Guildmaster. Sunflora had skillfully knocked out all the other Pokemon, but she was wounded. She twirled, sending a shower of petals towards Wigglytuff. Wigglytuff screamed, launching a Hyper Voice attack and stopping most of the petals. A few hit him, causing to draw some blood, but he had also injured Sunflora, who was holding her leaf arms against the sides of her head. The Guildmaster immediately struck a Double Slap, causing Sunflora to forget about her ears. The Sun Pokemon shot one last spray of leaves, one leaf striking Wigglytuff square between the eyes.

"Retreat, minions! Retreat!" Guildmaster cried. Surprisingly quickly for such a chubby Pokemon, he climbed the rope ladder up and out the pit.

More than happy, Bidoof raced up to the rope ladder and climbed out. He followed Wigglytuff across the clearing and behind a line of bushes next to Tide's lookout pine tree. Soon, the rest of the guild was clustered with them behind the bushes. They watched as Sunflora climbed out and looked around quizzically. Then she shrugged and continued on her way to Luminous Spring.

Wigglytuff turned to address the group and clapped his hands together. "Our friendly friend only has to retrieve the treasure, and then she'll be able to graduate from the guild. Isn't that wonderful?"

The guild cheered. Wigglytuff went on.

"But now, we must go back to the guild and prepare for Sunflora's graduation! Chatot, if you will please fetch our friendly friend Tide."

Chatot tweeted in agreement to Wigglytuff, then took off, flying high into the sky to where Tide was keeping lookout. But quickly, Chatot came back in a rush, carrying Tide's Treasure Bag in his talons.

"Guildmaster!" he cried frantically. "Tide isn't up there! All that's there is his Treasure Bag!"

Wigglytuff looked puzzled, and then smiled. "Tide's playing hide and seek! Come out come out wherever you are!" he called, dashing off to look around the clearing.

Chatot covered most of his face with his wing in embarrassment. But quickly, he brought his wing back down. "Everyone spread out. Bidoof, please continue to look around the clearing with Wigglytuff. The rest of us will look for Tide in the Forest. If you get badly injured, or too hungry, use an Escape Orb." He fished around in Tide's Treasure Bag until he found three Escape Orbs. He passed one to Bidoof, one to Croagunk and his group with Corphish and Dugtrio, and the last to Chimecho, who was with Diglett and Loudred.

"Once it gets dark, use that Orb if you're in any way wounded or starving." Chatot turned and flew into Mystifying Forest with Tide's Treasure Bag. The rest of the dungeon party marched after him.

---

**Mystifying Forest, Who Knows Where Section**

Tide wandered aimlessly through the dungeon, unsure of which way to go. If he'd had his Treasure Map, he would be able to tell which paths he'd already gone down. But he had left it in his Treasure Bag. At this point, Tide was getting pretty mad.

A few more Munchlax crossed his path, but he defeated them all with a single Bubblebeam. Once, a small group of Oddish had surrounded him, but he managed to defeat them all with Peck attacks, but he didn't get out of that one unscathed. He had a few cuts on his wings, and his energy was slightly sapped.

Blinking, he stepped into a tiny, circular clearing. His heart soared when he saw a ripe apple in the center. Without hesitation, he rushed toward it and picked it up. He devoured it in famished gulps until there was only the core left. Licking his beak, he turned around with renewed hope that he would make it out alive.

And stood, face to face, with a Beedrill.

The Beedrill made to stab at Tide with its left stinger, but Tide was quicker. He darted his face forward and Pecked the Poison Bee Pokemon in the eye.

The Beedrill let out a piercing cry, and four Beedrill appeared behind it. Trying to hold down his panic, Tide fired a Bubblebeam at the wounded Beedrill. The Beedrill _plopped _onto the ground, but was soon back up in the air. The eye that wasn't wounded was narrowed in anger. It let out another cry and the all the Beedrills shot forward.

Tide ducked under the oncoming attack, but a stinger grazed his head, creating a long, shallow cut. Tide straightened up and ran as fast as his short legs would allow. He dove into a bush, turning around and shooting Bubblebeams at the Beedrill. He was slightly protected from the bush, but the Beedrill were still scraping him. He felt a grumble in his belly, but it wasn't hunger. It was his Torrent ability.

Tide opened his beak to shoot out more Bubblebeams, but instead a forceful blast of water hit two Beedrills at the same time. He continued to launch the Hydro Pumps, but the Beedrills weren't backing down.

_Great, _Tide thought. _They're probably close to using their Swarm ability._

The Beedrills continued to jab at Tide, scraping his face or wings, and sometimes his torso. Then one of the Poison Bees opened its mouth, and shot an array of tiny purple needles at Tide. Tide closed his eyes as the Poison Sting attack landed directly in his face. A horrible pain fired through his skull, and he felt his strength ebbing. _Stupid poison._

Black spots started to envelop his vision. He aimed one last Hydro Pump at the Beedrills, but even with his Torrent ability, the force from his attack was weakened. He blinked, and one more stinger jabbed at him before he blacked out.

* * *

Tide blinked opens his eyes. At first, all he could see was something brown and hazy. He blinked again, and when his vision cleared he realized that he was looking up at the ceiling. His ceiling, the one at the guild! He was home! Delighted, he sat up, and saw that Chatot and Bidoof were sitting next to him. Chatot, whose feathers looked rather ruffled, spoke first.

"I hope you're grateful that I rescued you!" he snapped. "Those Beedrill were about to kill you! Why did you even go into the Forest?! Especially without your Treasure Bag! Goodness Mew, we might never have found you in that wretched Dungeon."

"An attack knocked me out of the tree!" Tide retorted. Although he was still tired, his Arrogant Piplup Pride was hurt, "I couldn't help where I landed! I can't fly!"

Chatot's eyes narrowed. In a voice that sounded completely like Tide, he said, "'an attack knocked me out of the tree!'" He returned to his normal, tempered voice. "Am I supposed to believe that? Until you are better, you are confined to the guild. No exceptions." Tide tried to argue, but Chatot ignored him and stormed out of the room.

Tide, still mad, turned to Bidoof. Trying his best to stay calm, he asked, "What happened to Sunflora?"

Bidoof shifted a little. "Well, you see, Tide, you've been out for a while. It's after lights out. Sunflora already graduated, and she's leaving in the morning. We've already eaten our supper. I saved some for you." Tentatively, he pushed a plate of fruit toward Tide.

Tide's anger melted slightly when he saw the food. In no time flat, the plate was polished off, shinier than it had been before. Tide wiped his beak with his wing and thanked Bidoof. Bidoof nodded, but he was already half asleep.

Although he was still too angry to sleep, Tide laid down in his bed of hay. In one day, he'd been sick, gone to Luminous Spring, and gotten lost and defeated in Mystifying Forest; not to mention he was now confined to the guild. How could things get any worse?

* * *

**A/N Okay guys, guess what? The Egg is going to hatch in the next chapter. (And that's when this story will start to get interesting xD) "Free" cookies (xD) to whoever can guess what** **Pokemon is in it! Also, here's a hint: it IS a Fire type.**

**Note: I do accept anonymous reviews!**


	5. Names are the Game

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!!!**

**Okie dokie, don't worry, I'm not dead. xD Anyways, I'm actually trying to string this along for as long as possible- you'll see why. Also, this is the first chapter that's only from Tide's viewpoint! I hope a get a few laughs in some points. Enjoy, and review!**

**Words: 2,174**

**Four: Names are the Game**

"Go back to bed."

Tide bit back a retort. All he had been trying to do was keep guard on the guild. Sure, Diglett and Loudred _had _told him to go back to bed, and Tide _did _sneak into the watching tunnel, but that didn't mean he was trying to cause trouble! He hadn't meant to stand on Diglett's head! Angrily, he stomped down the hall, stopping when he saw Chatot emerge from the Guildmaster's chamber.

"Can I do anything around here?" Tide asked, frustrated.

Chatot narrowed his eyes, still angry from last night. "I suppose you could help clean out the sewage, but we usually leave that for the Grimer. Go back to your room." With that, he took off and flew up to the next level of the guild.

Tide sighed. He was perfectly fine! He still had a few scrapes and bruises from the Beedrill, and he was just slightly tired, but other than that he was fine. He continued to stomp to his room, closing the door with a _bang._

Tide paced around his room, annoyed at the fact that he couldn't _do_ anything. It was already seven minutes into his day of torture, and he was already as bored as Wigglytuff was at an inter-guild meeting.

Tide flopped down onto his bed of hay and stared up at the ceiling. He tried to count Mareep, but after five he got bored. He twiddled with some of the hay from his bed. He found that he was twisting them into the emblem he and Olivia had made when they had first made Team Siempre. Tide still didn't know what _siempre_ meant. Olivia had promised to tell him when she remembered… Olivia had told Tide once that, when she was a human, she had studied languages, like Spanish and French… whatever those were. She had often said strange words, only remembering a few of their meanings…

Desperate to take his mind off the tracks they were heading, Tide scrambled to his feet and rushed to the window. For the first time, he poked his head completely out. Wind pummeled his face at first, and then the force receded. Tide widened his eyes. Bellow him was a sheer drop, with sharp rocks scattered on the bottom. Shuddering, he turned his head around to look up. Above, he saw more of the rock wall, but he saw that there were more footholds than bellow, and he could get see some grass hanging form the top…

_Wait_, he told himself, _what am I thinking?!_ Tide stared up at the outside of the guild. Yes, there was a foothold here and a handhold there… But that didn't mean he could actually _climb_ it!

Before he could stop himself, Tide squeezed out of the window, using the panes to balance. Quickly, he grabbed a hold of a piece of protruding stone and hauled himself up. He continued to grasp hold after hold and pulled himself up, trying not to rely much on his stubby legs much.

The sane part of his mind was screaming, _You idiot! Get back down or you'll be food for the Murkrow if you fall!_ But the louder voices were coming from his pride, and his previous bored state-of-mind. _Don't give up, or you won't get to do _anything_ today!_

Tide grunted as he continued to climb. He had no clue how he could climb up this wall, but he was doing it, and that was all the mattered, right? Sweat was drenching his forehead and in his armpits, as if he was fighting in a volcano rather than just climbing. Well, he wasn't _just_ climbing, he was escaping, and one mistake could mean death. Tide pushed upward as far as he could with his leg, and stretched his flipper. There was a narrow ledge above him, just out of reach.

_Crack…_

Tide's eyes widened. In a split second, he could start to feel his foothold give way. Then he did something, which was, in the simplest of words, stupid. He jumped upward.

This caused his foothold to crumble into oblivion, and for Tide to, of course, be propelled up. But, being a penguin Pokemon, his legs were better used for jumping _down_ into water, not straight _up. _The tip of his flipper brushed the ledge above, and then he dropped, falling through the air like a stone. In fact, the only difference between his fall today and his fall yesterday was that, from the top of the tree, the fall wasn't even half of the height of the guild cliff.

Sheer terror surged through Tide as he plummeted past his window. The rocky bottom of the cliff zoomed straight towards him, getting closer with each second. Tide opened his beak to scream, cry for help, _anything_ to prevent his imminent doom. But instead of sound, water propelled out of his mouth, forcefully pounding at the stones now only about forty feet bellow him. The force of the Hydro Pump pushed him up, up towards the top of the cliff.

Tide, still panicked, closed his beak and cut off the flow of water. He went up a few more feet, and then he started to feel the sensation of falling again. He was about to open his beak to scream again, but all that came out was a soft, "_Oof."_

Tide was startled by his impact with the grassy ground. It felt alien, as if he'd been climbing for years and hadn't felt the ground in forever. He marveled at the emerald green grass around him. Ecstatic, he rolled over onto his stomach and kissed the ground. _Thank you, thank you, thank you!_ he repeated over and over again silently.

When Tide got to his feet he studied his surroundings. He had landed on the right side of the guild entrance, not far from the Footprint Grate. Carefully, he tip-toed past the grate, then rushed down the stairs, enjoying the freedom he knew wouldn't last forever.

Tide was relishing his freedom so much, that he didn't notice Sunflora until it was too late. After bowling her over, Tide somersaulted head over heels a few feet, until he ended up on his back. Jumping to his feet, he whipped around, to see Sunflora sprawled on the ground, the contents of her Treasure Bag spilled all over the intersection.

Hastily, Tide picked up the nearest items - a few Oran berries and a couple of Max Elixers - and brought them over next to Sunflora's Treasure Bag. Sunflora rose to a sitting position and glared at Tide.

"Eek! Like, watch where you're going!" she scolded. The Sun Pokemon rose to her feet and, with Tide, collected the rest of her belongings.

Tide, red faced, picked up another Oran berry. Looking around, he saw Sunflora's Wonder Map lying open on the ground a few paces away. Picking it up, Tide realized that a red line stretching from Treasure Town to various cities and dungeons was drawn on it. Slightly puzzled, he picked up another Oran berry and headed back to Sunflora.

Handing the Sun Pokemon her belongings, he said "Are you going somewhere?"

Sunflora laughed, obviously getting over the fact that she'd just gotten run over. "Like, of course I am! I graduated, didn't I? I want to see the world!" Hoisting her Treasure Bag over her shoulder, she continued. "First I'm heading to the next town, Rubium. There, I'm gonna see if I can find any lore about treasure in the area."

As Sunflora continued to rant on about her adventures, Tide sighed inwardly. Sunflora hadn't been his best friend or anything, but did they all have to leave? Why couldn't they stay, and then things would never change.

"Tide? Are you listening?"

Tide blinked. "Yeah… uh… No."

Sunflora rolled her eyes. "I was saying, that maybe I'll find out what my name means. You know, my actual name is Rooted Bud?*"

Tide knew what Sunflora meant by "actual name." All Pokemon were born with the knowledge of their name, which hinted about their future. Each Pokemon learned the meaning of their name before they died, but most Pokemon wanted to learn it before their last moments. Tide didn't know what his name meant, but he didn't quite care about it.

Sunflora reached into a pocket of her Treasure Bag, pulling out a twenty-five piece Poke. Slapping it into Tide's hand, she said, "I'm sure Chatot didn't let you out. Better eat while you can." With that, Sunflora gave an _Eek_ of excitement and raced down the road.

Tide stood there dumbly, a Poke in his hand, and watched as Sunflora became smaller and smaller with distance. Sighing, he turned toward Treasure Town, and hoped that the uplifting town would help raise his spirits.

As he plodded through the town, he found that, because it was the middle of the day, hardly any Pokemon were in the streets. But as he passed by the shops, a barrage of questions bombarded him. All of the questions had one thing in common, though: his health.

"Tide! Did you really spew everywhere?"

"Hey, are you feeling okay?"

"What made you spew?"

Tide pushed through the sudden small crowd toward the Kecleon Shop. "I'm fine!" he called over his shoulder, reaching the counter. The Pokemon mob reluctantly shuffled back to their previous chores.

Sighing in relief, Tide put the Poke on the counter. "Can I get an apple?" he asked.

The purple brother snatched up the Poke, admiring its shine. Pushing his brother into the back of the store, he said, "Hey, go get Tide's apple." Still admiring the Poke, he suddenly turned invisible- all but his red stripe- and probably went to put the money in a safe place.

The green brother returned from the back of the store with Tide's apple. "Excuse my brother," he apologized. "He's practically hypnotized by money." Rolling his eyes, the green brother returned to his job of polishing the Silver Spikes.

Tide took his apple and ran off toward Sharpedo Bluff, happy to be away from other Pokemon for a while. Instead of going down into his previous home, he sat on the edge of the Bluff, chewing on his apple thoughtfully. He watched the afternoon sun glisten off the sea, and his mind started to race. How many treasures lay under the sea, or beyond it? After all, there was another region in the world, but it was many miles away. Sighing, Tide wondered why the Rescue Teams didn't hunt for treasure. Sure, it was important to save Pokemon, but Exploration Teams did that, too! And it had been years since the threat of the meteor, and that had messed up the entire world. Now, there were much less disasters, and Rescue Teams spent most of their time training, or just wasting time.

Sighing, Tide thought about how to get to any treasure. Sure, he could swim, but could he swim until he came to the next region? _Probably not. _Tide laughed a little, and then grew more serious. One question had popped into his head, and, stubbornly, it wouldn't leave.

_Can I do this without Olivia?_

Shaking his head, Tide knew the answer. Doing his best to pull his mind away from his absent partner, he wondered who he could take treasure hunting after he graduated from the guild. He didn't want to take Bidoof- although he was nice, he wasn't ready for that.

With a small gasp, Tide suddenly remembered the stone-colored Egg that Chansey had. Maybe the Pokemon in there could help him by the time he graduated.

Throwing the core of his apple into the ocean, he rose to his feet and ran back to Treasure Town. His flippers made a _plop_ as they pounded on the ground. A few of the shopkeepers and shoppers watched him confusedly as he crossed the bridge and made toward Chansey's Daycare. At her door, he knocked, breathing slightly hard.

After hearing some sort of muffled reply from inside, the door swung open to reveal Chansey. Her eyes were alight. "Tide! The Egg is hatching!" Grasping Tide by the fin, she pulled him inside.

The room was filled with nests of hay and Eggs, but Tide barely noticed them. In the middle of the room sat a glowing Egg. Chansey kneeled down beside the Egg, and motioned for Tide to do the same. Still awed at the sight of the Egg, he sat.

The Egg was glowing an almost blinding white, and cracks had started to appear in the shell. The Egg rocked back and forth and still more cracks appeared. Then, the Egg burst apart, and the tiny Pokemon bundled out. Falling into Tide's arms, the tiny creature squeaked, "Amarante! My name! I cold."

Shivering down to her snow white tail, the Vulpix turned her bright, new eyes up toward Tide.

* * *

*** All Pokemon have a true name that they know at birth and is their first word. They all mean something, and some are trickier to decipher than others, like "Tide" and "Amarante" (ah MAH ront). Some will be in different languages, others will just be in English. I'm going to do my best to improve at minor character names, like "Rooted Bud". Gah, I can't come up with anything else for that.**

**Anyways, before you ask, Vulpixes DO have snow white tails at birth, it says so in Pokedex entries. Also, no one got a cookie. *eats* *sigh* Do you really think that me, with my super imagination, would have the Pokemon in the Egg be a Charmander? (Oh, and the Egg glowing before wasn't it evolving inside, but that was a good idea!)**

**Also, I am now accepting OCs, although they will only be used for rescues and outlaws. (All except Legendary Fairy's character, that OC has a bit more of a role.)**

**Now, review! :P**


	6. Dungeon Diving in the Shallow End

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON!**

**AHHHHHH! 3,785 words! New record! xD Dang... so close to 4k. This took about 5 pages... yeah, I stink. xD**

**Anyways, here's some more story!**

**Five: Dungeon Diving… In the Shallow End**

Amarante toddled after Tide, her wide amber eyes flicking to one thing after the other. First, her attention was drawn to the vast blue sky, and then her head would whip faster than her eyes to Marowak's Dojo. More than once, her tiny paws stumbled over the occasional pebble, but to Tide, it didn't look like she cared.

Chansey had insisted that Tide immediately take Amarate back to the guild, so the tiny fox could learn quicker than usual about dungeons. Well, that's what Chansey said, so who was Tide to argue?

"Amarante," Tide said as they padded toward the crossroads. "We're going to go to Wigglytuff's Guild, so you can learn about dungeons." _And help me get away from here, _he added silently.

Amarante, who had been peeping into a bush, nodded. Tide suspected that she hadn't been listening.

When they came to the stairs that led up toward the guild, Amarante gawped. Each step was as high as her stubby legs, and Tide guessed that the stairs must seem absolutely endless to her. But in relativity, Tide's legs were much shorter than Amarante's, so he decided that he would have to show her that climbing the steps was easy.

In retrospect, it was a good idea, but even though young Pokemon were incredibly fast learners, Amarante could not quite get the hang of climbing stairs. Halfway to the top, Tide was helped to push her up, when he lost his balance, falling back all the way down. Amarante, who had managed to scramble up onto her step, was shivering with the fear of being alone and being on the tallest point she had yet to come to in her life.

By the time they reached the top, Tide was panting. The sun was just touching the distant horizon on its way to the other side of the world, and it was a hazy orange color. The sky, which had been a soft blue earlier that afternoon, had become a harsh yellow. The wind had also picked up, signaling an oncoming thunderstorm.

Tide moaned when he saw that the guild gate was closed. He had been hoping to sneak down into the base, but even if Amarante wasn't with him, it was a wild hope. Taking Amarante, he stood on the Footprint Grate with her.

"Pokemon detected! Pokemon detected!"

_Boy, this routine gets old. _Tide rolled his eyes.

"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?"

There was a very short pause. "Tide and a Vulpix. I repeat: Tide and a Vulpix!"

A minute later, the gate opened with a rusty groan of protest. Amarante shrank behind Tide at the sound, but a moment later, Tide would have done the same thing.

Chatot stood in the entryway. His wings were crossly placed on his middle, his beak was a grim line, and his eyes burned like absolute fire. For a wild moment, Tide could have sworn Moltres stood in front of him.

While his eyes were flames, Chatot's voice was ice. "Get in the Guildmaster's chamber, _now._"

Tide gulped, and placed his hand on Amarante's back, herding her past Chatot toward the ladder. The bird eyed the Vulpix, but did not question her apparent attachment to Tide.

Tide helped Amarante down both ladders, trying to avoid the other guild members' eyes. Chatot flew closely behind them. While he didn't say a word, Tide felt two spots of flame on the back of his neck and ice down his spine.

Chatot led the way into Wigglytuff's chamber. Wigglytuff had his back turned to the door. Tide couldn't see what his Guildmaster was doing, but he heard a muffled crunch and suspected he was eating a Perfect Apple.

After Chatot closed the double doors behind them, he spoke to the Guildmaster. "Guildmaster, I specifically informed Tide of his punishment to stay inside the guild until further notice, but he somehow escaped anyways. And he also brought back this young Vulpix-" as he said his, he unfolded his wing toward Amarante, even though the Guildmaster's back was still turned to them "-without my prior knowledge."

Wigglytuff was silent for a moment. Tide braced himself; although Wigglytuff was normally a jolly and carefree soul, he didn't get the title of Guildmaster for nothing.

The Guildmaster spun around. "What's your name, friendly friend?" he asked cheerily to Amarante.

Tide was about to step forward to answer for the Vulpix, when the tiny fox meekly supplied, "Amarante."

"Okie dokie, Ranta," Wigglytuff nicknamed her. "Chatot, go grab one of Team Siempre's scarves. Ranta will need one."

Chatot gawked. "B-but Guildmaster, what about Tide's punishment?"

Wigglytuff twitched one ear and raised an eyebrow. "Well, of course he'll have a punishment! Until Ranta's a stronger fighter, he'll have to teach her in the weaker dungeons."

Chatot was flustered. "Sh-shouldn't he have a bigger punishment?"

Wigglytuff sighed. "Well, Chatot, I guess we could have Tide skip supper. Would that make you happy, friendly friend?"

Chatot, still finding it hard to speak, nodded, and went to the back of the room to retrieve one of the numerous scarves of Team Siempre. Tide bit back a sigh as he remembered all the long hours he and Olivia had spent embroidering the light blue scarves from the Keckleon Shop with red thread to create a flame emblem on one corner. He couldn't even remember how many scarves they bought. When they had started out as a team, it was easy to imagine hundreds of recruits for Team Siempre, but so far, Olivia's had been lost, and Bidoof hadn't even asked for one.

Chatot opened the treasure chest marked "Siempre." Dust seemed to blast off the chest as it was pushed open. Reaching down in with his wing, Chatot pulled out one of the smaller scarves and shook the dust from it. Hopping over to the newly nicknamed Ranta - Tide found it much easier than pronouncing her real name - the bird Pokemon tied it around her neck, so that the emblem hung down in front of her chest.

Ranta blinked, and nodded her thanks.

"Chatot," Wigglytuff ordered, "take Ranta to the mess hall for dinner. I'll come in a jiffy."

Chatot stiffly placed a wing on Amarante and guided her out the room. The Vulpix shot a frightened look toward Tide, and he nodded encouragingly back at her. Though her eyes were still wide, Ranta's muscles relaxed slightly.

Wigglytuff bounced forward until he was a foot away from Tide. With a serious expression, he reminded, "No dinner for you." He stared into Tide's eyes, and then cracked a grin. "Ha! Did you see Chatot's face? Ha-ha!"

Soon the Guildmaster was rolling around on the floor, completely losing what Tide guessed he never had. But still, even Tide had to admit, Wigglytuff could make a lonely Cubone smile.

Before Wigglytuff could bring himself to the point of tears, Tide backed out of the room, closing the doors behind him. No one was out in the main lower room, but he heard laugher and slurping from the mess hall. Hoping that Ranta hadn't been eaten, he headed to the mouth of the dormitory hallway, confident that Bidoof would save him an apple.

After about half an hour of waiting, the guild members filed out of the mess hall, some talking to each other, while others hared straight past Tide toward their rooms, their eyes dull with exhaustion. At the back of the group was Ranta, her eyes wide and scared at being away from Tide for the first time. She scurried to his side, shivering.

"Its okay, Ranta," Tide soothed, standing up and patting the fox on her head. "C'mon, it's time for bed." He led her down the hall to his room, where Bidoof already sat.

The plump mouse lay in his bed of hay, fiddling with an apple. When he saw Tide, he sat up. "Hey Tide, I saved you some dinner."

"Thanks Bidoof," Tide said as he took the apple, biting into it. He swallowed, and then introduced Ranta to Bidoof.

"Hi, Amarante," Bidoof greeted. "You guys can have some of the hay from my bed, if you like." He shifted, and then pushed some hay toward Tide's bed.

"T-thank you, Bidoof," Ranta stuttered, still shaky at the new world. Although only a few hours old, her vocabulary had broadened to eight words. Typical for a Pokemon, as newborns had a high learning curve.

Tide quickly finished the apple, and then arranged his bed for him and Amarante. The fox Pokemon stuck to him like glue, so he figured she wouldn't even sleep two feet away from him.

"Good night," Tide called softly into the darkness.

"Night," Bidoof grunted, already half asleep.

Amarante shivered against Tide's side, where she was curled up. But soon, she was fast asleep. Tide's dreams weren't too long to come after hers.

Thunder rumbled as they slept, and rain hissed outside the window. Lightning flashed in the sky, but still they slept soundly.

---

"GET OUT OF BED, YOU LAZY BONES!"

Tide jumped, as usual, out of his bed and onto the hard floor. And Bidoof, as usual, had dived under his hay as if Primal Dialga sat outside the window. But, Amarante did not have a usual. In fact, she had an… unusual.

She screamed, jumped, and blew a fireball at Tide's empty bed, causing it to erupt in flames. At the sight of the dancing flames, she froze and her eyes widened in wonder. Needless to say, the non- Fire type Pokemon weren't mesmerized. Bidoof scrambled up Loudred and shivered on the Big Voice Pokemon's head, trying to hide behind his round ears. Tide was more calm (after having a Charmander as a partner, he was rather used to these sorts of things). He aimed toward the fire, and shot a well controlled Hydro Pump, dousing the flames.

Ranta's expression softened, but then she looked at Tide and gave a soft whine, as if to say, 'Hey! Why'd you do that?'

"Hey BIDOOF," Loudred complained, "Get OFF my HEAD!"

Bidoof scurried off, then looked at the charred remains of Tide's bed. "Yup yup, you're gonna need more hay, Tide."

Loudred growled a little. "You guys are going to be late for morning briefing." With that, he turned and headed down the hall, Bidoof hurrying after him. Tide put his hand on Ranta's back and led her down the hall.

"Don't worry, Ranta," Tide said as they neared the main room, "you'll soon learn how to control your fire." He stifled a giggle as he remembered how Olivia had had trouble learning her Fire type attacks - in her first month as a Pokemon, Tide always had singed feathers.

"Thanks for joining us," Chatot commented as Tide and Ranta took their places. The bird Pokemon cleared his throat, then began the morning chant. "One: Don't shirk work."

The guild members repeated the motto, but it was obvious that the newest member was struggling to keep up with the pace of the chant. "Don't shriek work!" Ranta mispronounced.

"Run away and pay."

"Run today and pay!"

"Smiles go for miles."

"Miles go for smiles!"

The apprentices struggled to keep from laughing. Chatot rolled his eyes and dismissed the meeting, and then motioned for Tide and Ranta to come and speak with him.

"Remember, you two, today you're going to an E rated dungeon. In fact, the Guildmaster has approved that I assign you both to Beach Cave. Now, hurry along." Chatot shoed them away with his wings.

---

Tide shuffled the papers from the bulletin board as he and Ranta padded into Treasure Town. _Ugh. I've saved the world, and yet I'm _still _doing E jobs. _Tide scratched the back of his neck under his scarf. Well, if he had to do an E rated job, he better not screw up!

As Tide took one thousand Poke out of the bank (one thousand out of seven thousand), he noticed that Amarante was trotting off over the bridge. Hastily, he thanked Duskull, and then stuffed the coins in a pocket of his Treasure Bag as he hurried after the little fox.

When he caught up to Ranta, he found her staring at the many objects in the Keckleon Shop. Her mouth gaped open slightly as she gazed at the polished Orbs and sharp Spikes.

"Hey, Tide," the green Keckleon joked as he came to the counter, "is she yours?"

Tide laughed. "Yeah. Hey, have you gotten any Reviver Seeds lately? I'm starting to run out."

Keckleon shook his head. "Sorry, but no. Do you need anything else?"

Tide scooped some Poke out of the pocket of his Treasure Bag and put them on the counter. "A couple of Max Elixers, and two apples."

Keckleon nodded and took the money, and headed into the shop to gather the needed supplies. A moment later, the purple Keckleon came out of the darkness of the back of the tent shop, yawning.

"Good morning, Tide. Oh, who's this?" He leaned down over the counter to get a good look at Amarante.

"This is Ranta," Tide answered. "I'm teaching her about dungeons." _And in turn, she'll help me get away from here._

Ranta shyly shuffled her paws as the purple Keckleon (everyone referred to him as "Purp," while his brother was just called Keckleon) commented on her appearance. "She's a tiny little thing, isn't she?" He straightened up. "Still got a white tail, eh? Born yesterday or the day before, if memory serves me. But she's got a few red hairs there on her tail; she's likin' you, Tide." Purp laughed. "Anyways, do you need any Orbs? Or TMs?"

Tide shook his head. "No, I don't use Orbs very much; I've still got plenty stored in here." He patted his Treasure Bag for emphasis. "And I know enough moves already to keep Dialga away."

Purp giggled. "Well, now you have a little fire breather again to help you." With that, he gave an unnecessary bow, and went back into the store.

Although Purp's tone had been light, Tide couldn't help but feel a pang when he mentioned Olivia. Was Tide the only one who missed her?

His thoughts were interrupted when Keckleon came back out of the store with the supplies. Tide stuffed the supplies in the folds of his bag, and then thanked Keckleon as he and Ranta headed back over the bridge.

---

**Beach Cave, B First Floor. Objective: None**

Ranta followed Tide hesitantly as they traversed the dungeon floor. Tide saw that her paws were wet; that wasn't surprising, since half of this stupid dungeon was a puddle. At least the dungeon itself wasn't harrowing - there weren't any traps, nor were there any especially viscous Pokemon. How insanely boring.

At least Ranta had been able to take down a Shellos. It had taken several Embers, though (which was her only attack at that point) to take down the Water type, but she hadn't gotten away unscathed. Tide could only imagine how it felt to be doused with water when you were a Fire type. It was probably like being zapped with electricity, for him.

As they rounded a corner to head into a room, they came face to face with a Shellder. Tide used Pound, swatting his opponent away like an insolent fly.

In the next room, Ranta picked up an apple and handed it to Tide, who stashed it in the Treasure Bag. It was bruised, and wouldn't make a good meal, but Tide knew that the Keckleon brothers would buy it to make their cider.

Also in that room were the stairs leading down to the next level. Tide led Ranta down the stone steps to the next floor.

**Beach Cave, B Second Floor. Objective: None.**

Again, this floor was uneventful. The passages between rooms were annoyingly twisted, but held very few enemies. The two Shellos they did encounter were weak, but one managed to injure Ranta with a Water Gun attack. After defeating the Shellos, Tide gave Ranta an Oran Berry to give her strength.

They soon found the next set of stairs.

**Beach Cave, B Third Floor. Objective: Rescue Pidgey.**

"Some Pokemon like to explore dungeons on their own," Tide explained to Ranta as they padded along an extra-straight hallway. "But they get careless, and forget food, or aren't ready to take on the Pokemon in the dungeon. Or they simply get lost."

Tide always wondered what made the Pokemon so stupid as to come to a dungeon unprepared. How could they simply forget the warnings of their parents about dungeons? Of the dangerous, unpredictable Pokemon that lived within them, or the treacherous weather that sometimes occurred? Most of all, how could they forget _food?_

They found Pidgey huddling in a corner, eyes dull with exhaustion and hunger. Tide reached into his bag and pulled out an apple and handed it to the little bird. Immediately, its eyes brightened, and it munched hungrily on the fruit.

"Thank you, thank you!" the Pidgey exclaimed as Tide used his badge to transport it home.

Luckily, the stairs were in the same room as the Pidgey was hiding in.

**Beach** **Cave, B Fourth Floor. Objective: Find the Orange Gummi**

Tide grumbled as he and Ranta trudged along the passageway. He _hated _these jobs. Why couldn't Pokemon keep a hold on their items? It wasn't that hard to buy a bag or a toolbox - the Keckleon brothers had a whole shelf of them!

"What's a Gummi?" Ranta squeaked. Tide guessed that the squeaking came from using her throat to use Ember for so long and not talking.

"Gummi's are a food that help to make you smarter. There are seventeen different flavors - one for each Pokemon type. Water types have a preference for Blue Gummies, but we hate Yellow or Green Gummies. Fire types like you usually prefer Red Gummies, and hate Blue and Brown Gummies."

Tide stifled a laugh as he remembered that Olivia had despised Red Gummies, and instead had horded Green Gummies galore in Kangashkhan storage.

_Mew, I wish she was here._

When the duo entered the next room, they were surprised to see a Corsola hopping about. The pink and white Rock Pokemon was twirling in the air with each jump, but even more surprising was the Orange Gummi that it held in its grip.

When the Corsola spotted Team Siempre, its eyes grew round with fear, and it jumped toward the water. Tide dashed after it as fast as his little legs would allow, but, of course, the Corsola dived into the water before he could get to it.

"Stay here," Tide commanded Ranta before he threw off the Treasure Bag from his shoulder and jumped in after the Coral Pokemon. Tide smiled as he swam - this was _his_ element, _his_ domain of power. He swam like a bullet after the Corsola, butting it with his head. Corsola, terrified, let go of the Gummi and swam downward as fast as it could.

Tide grasped the Gummi and swam back toward the surface. He swam back to the shore where Ranta sat, shivering with the fright of being alone in the strange dungeon. Climbing out of the water, Tide shook the wetness off of the Orange Gummi.

"I hope it doesn't matter if the Gummi's wet or not," he mumbled as he put the Gummi inside of the Treasure Bag.

Ranta trembled behind Tide as they continued along the damp passageways. Eventually, after defeating a few Shellder and a handful of Kabuto, they reached the stairs.

**Beach Cave, B Fifth Floor. Objective: Find the Max Elixer**

Tide closed his mind to the memory of him and Olivia fighting Zubat and Koffing down on this floor to get his Relic Fragment back from the thieves. That had been an age ago, and he had a different reason to be here now.

Ranta tugged on his arm. "Um… Tide? What's that?" She pointed with her muzzle to a rock out in the middle of the seawater. An odd form protruded from it; it looked like the rock had fingers.

"I don't know." Tide lifted the Treasure Bag above his head and waded out toward the rock. Ranta stayed on the shore.

Tide stood on his tiptoes to peer into the 'upward palm' of the hand. A sparkle caught his eye. A blue crystal was wedged in between the fingers of the rock. Tide grasped it, and wiggled it, loosening it enough to pull it out. The crystal barely fit into his hand.

A very small part of him wondered how the teardrop-shaped crystal had gotten lodged there. Most of him was marveling at the unexpected jewel.

Tide remembered his Relic Fragment. He hadn't had his own treasure since he had given up the Relic Fragment to travel to Temporal Tower on the Rainbow Stoneship. Tide stuffed the crystal between his neck and in the fold of his scarf.

"Tide?" Ranta called reluctantly.

Tide turned toward the little fox and blinked. "What?"

Ranta nosed a small bottle in the sand. "Is this a Max Elixer?"

Tide nodded enthusiastically. Now they could go home! He jogged through the shallow water, struggling to keep from falling over. He picked up the Max Elixer and dropped it in the Treasure Bag.

"Let's get out of here," Tide said, pulling out his badge and placing his hand on Ranta's back as they transported back onto the beach.

**---**

The moon hovered outside the window, full and bloated, like Tide was. He hadn't remembered feeling this full in ages. Ranta was curled up beside him, already asleep, and Bidoof snored from his bed a few feet away.

Stars twinkled in the night sky. Tide wondered if stars were of the same light that Olivia had disappeared into. If they were, was she there, in the sky? What about Grovyle and Celebi? Were they up there too? Or had they all disappeared into oblivion?

Tide blinked away his thoughts. He couldn't think about them now - he had to sleep. Blocking any further thoughts from his mind, Tide drifted off into sleep.

In his dreams, he was floating in the stars. They were strangely cold.

* * *

**Okie dokie, I need reviews. :P I had only one good review last time, and I'm demanding more. XD Eh, you can review if you like, I don't care too much (though a review IS nice xD). Anyways, sorry if you thought I was dead... again. I'm not, and I'll try harder to update more often, but I give no guarantees. Thank for reading this chapter!**


	7. Out of Bed and Into the Water

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. I only own the characters, but their respective specie are owned by their respective owners.**

**BEFORE YOU READ: Yes, this is indeed a PMD3 story. Sorry if you haven't completed that, or if I've given you a spoiler. I just thought I'd get that out there before anyone got confused. I'm going to put '(PMD3)' on the story's summary so new readers will know this. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

**If you're wondering, the really quick update is due to my being ill for the past three days. No school. :)**

**Just so ya know, _This kinda speak is when it's telepathic, or in a dream. You'll see what I mean._**

**Oh, yay! 2,467 words. Big. Whoop. Oh well, I'll work on that. Anyways, this is kinda a filler/plot development. **

**Six: Out of the Bed and into the Water**

_**Tide…**_

_A hazy fog surrounded the Piplup. The darkness of the sky in contrast to the cold light of the stars had dissipated, leaving him in an empty whiteness._

_**Tide…!**_

_Tide spun around, searching for where the sound was originating. The fog was almost choking; the air was chilly on his spine. But all the same, he felt like there was something, or some _things_, there with him, or at least close to him._

_**Tide!**_

_"Olivia?" he called. His voice echoed strangely, but he could have sworn he saw a smudge of orange light in the distance._

_"Olivia!" This time, he was sure - that was the light of the Charmander's tail! He started to run, wishing he was swimming so he could go faster. "Olivia! Olivia!"_

_Something flew overhead; a colorful blur that he couldn't make out in the haze. It swooped, and the pink_ thing _flew sideways into his path, causing him to halt. It circled around him once before flying up and away into the sky._

_Annoyed, Tide was about to start running again when someone grasped his shoulder. Angry now, he spun about. "Leave me-"_

_He stopped short. The last Pokemon he had expected to be there was, indeed, there._

_"Don't go after her," Grovyle warned. His talon-like hand was still on Tide's shoulder. It was an iron grip._

_"Let me go!" Tide, after getting over the shock of seeing who he considered a thief, his old friend, and most of all, his rival in Olivia's friendship, started to thrash. But his shoulder never loosed from Grovyle's grip. "Let me go!"_

_Grovyle shook his head. "I can't let you. It's a waste of time - a fruitless chase. She's gone, Tide; she can't and won't come back."_

_"You liar!" Tide screeched. He blasted a Hydro Pump at Grovyle, but, to his surprise, the water passed harmlessly through the Wood Gecko. Tears of frustration started to well in Tide's eyes. "Let me GO! You went after her when you came from the future!"_

_"That was different, Tide, you know it was." Grovyle's voice was calm. "She's gone, I'm gone, Celebi's gone. We all leave; we can't help it. But Tide, she's there, in your memories. Memories make us who we are. In a sense, Olivia is a part of you, I'm a part of you - so is Celebi, Bidoof, everyone you've ever known._

_"You have to stop chasing her."_

_Tide's sobs were hysterical. They caught in his throat almost as often as they escaped. Tears fell off of his cheeks. "Let me go! Let go, let go, let go!"_

"Tide!"

Tide blinked open his eyes. The haze was gone, and the white blankness was replaced by an eager Vulpix's face staring down at him.

"Tide!" Ranta exclaimed joyfully. "You're up!"

The little fox bounced, then seemed to catch herself and shuffled her paws shyly. "I mean… good morning, Tide."

Tide held back a groan - his head hurt, as if he _had_ been bawling his eyes out, instead of dreaming. At least the dream was over with. But he couldn't shake off the feeling of a hand clasping his shoulder, and the feeling of dread.

Grovyle… He was telling the truth. He had to be - Tide never remembered the Grass Pokemon ever lying. Perhaps maybe once or twice he concealed the truth, but never behind a lie. But Tide couldn't believe it. It was impossible. It was like when Tide grew up knowing that the sun would never stop rising, then being transported to the future and getting slapped in the face with the cold reality that time would freeze. It just wasn't believable.

"Tide?" Ranta inquired, "You were muttering something in your sleep. It sounded like… 'Oh-larvae-uh.'" Amarante's muzzle rounded strangely when trying to sound out the word.

Tide was dumbfounded. He slept-talked? But his worst problem that left him speechless was how to explain to a hatchling that Olivia had basically died. He didn't want to burden the young Pokemon's mind with apocalyptic thoughts.

Luckily, he was saved from speaking when Bidoof groaned sleepily from his bed. Ranta, forgetting about 'Oh-larvae-uh,' hopped over to Bidoof. "Wake up!"

Bidoof's head shot up. "W-wha..? Fire?!" His head whipped around until he spotted Amarante, and then he sighed. "What time is it?"

Ranta shuffled her paws again. "It's not dawn yet. I thought you two might like to get up before Loudy woke you up."

Tide looked out the window. Indeed, milky predawn light was filling the sky. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, he yawned, stretching out his arms. "Well, Bidoof, we're up now, there's no going back to sleep."

Bidoof huffed. "Fine." He rose from his hay bed and shook his pelt, scattering a few strands of hay around the room. Stiff with sleep, he padded out the doorway and down the hall.

Ranta, who seemed to have much more energy than the day before, circled Tide as he got up and started to walk down the hall.

"Who put a Chesto Berry in your breakfast?" Tide grumbled jokingly as they walked down the hall, trying to keep his mind off of his fog-filled dream.

Ranta's face became puzzled as she continued to circle Tide. "Ches-what?"

Halfway down the hall, Tide took his Treasure Bag down from its hook on the wall. He reached into the bag and pulled out a Chesto Berry for Ranta to see. "A Chesto Berry. They keep you from falling asleep."

"Oh!" Ranta exclaimed. "I saw one of those." She twitched her tail (which was now filled with more red hairs and just starting to curl into six at the tips) and added, "I think it was in that… dungeon, right? Beach Cave?"

Amarante bounced again, "If you're gonna be this slow, I'm gonna go see what Bidoof is doing." To Tide's surprise, she actually bounded ahead of him down the hall. He guessed that she felt more comfortable in the guild now that she knew there wasn't an enemy around every corner - but still, she probably would get anxious if Tide wasn't right behind her.

Slinging the Treasure Bag over his shoulder, his scarf shifted, and the teardrop-shaped crystal he had found yesterday fell on the floor. Quickly, he bent down and picked up the tiny blue crystal. For a moment he studied it. Thin dark lines went every which way in the crystal, as if it had been dropped and broken, then expertly glued back together.

For the first time, he wondered how the crystal had been formed. He definitely was not an expert in jewels and the like, but still, he wondered how this tiny, blue, smooth crystal had gotten into the pit of Beach Cave.

Tide shook his head. He'd figure out the mystery when he had time. Stuffing the crystal back between his neck and in the fold of his scarf, he continued down the hall.

When he came to the main room, he found Bidoof lazily lying on the ground, Ranta circling him.

"Hey, Bidoof! Why so tired all of the sudden?" Tide teased.

"Yup, yup, yup," Bidoof sighed tiredly. "I don't know about you, but I'm not a morning Pokemon."

The flap of feathers caught the trio's attention. Chatot flew down from the floor above, muttering about how cluttered the guild was. When the bird saw the three Pokemon already awake, his eyes narrowed, and he landed in front of them.

"Why up so early?" he asked.

Ranta shuffled her paws again. "I thought they might like to be woken up by me and not Loudy."

Chatot nodded, but his eyes were still slightly narrowed. "Loudred should wake up the others any minute now. I suggest you get ready for the morning briefing." The bird Pokemon turned around and entered the Guildmaster's chamber.

Bidoof snored peacefully on the ground; his legs were tucked underneath his chest much like a cat Pokemon. His chin was rested on the floor, and Ranta sniffed him curiously until he let out a loud snort in his sleep. The little fox jumped, and dashed behind Tide, peeking around him at the plump mouse.

Outside the window, dawn, at last, broke out over the horizon. A split second after, however, the silence was broke by none other than Loudred. His wake up call echoed down the hall, and a minute or two later, the apprentices filed out into the room.

Somehow, Bidoof was still asleep after Loudred's wake up call. Diglett popped out of the ground from underneath the plump mouse, sending him a few feet in the air and landing, wide awake, on his rump.

Bidoof scowled. "Thanks, Diglett."

Wigglytuff and Chatot came out of the Guildmaster's chamber. The bird clapped his wings together for attention.

"Good morning, everyone," he greeted. "Today, you will go about your normal chores."

With that rather brief briefing, Chatot led the morning chant. This time, however, Ranta chanted in time, but still mispronounced the words.

---

Ranta trembled behind Tide, not even daring to look at the roaring, extremely treacherous waterfall that fell in thousands of gallons a second.

Bidoof, who Chatot had forced to go along with Team Siempre for some reason or another, huffed. "Ranta, it's not going to kill you." With that, the plump mouse dashed forward and jumped into the waterfall, most likely landing in the entrance to the dungeon.

Ranta squealed in terror. "No! I won't go in! It'll hurt me!"

Tide sighed. "No, it won't."

"Yes it will! I know it will!"

Tide sighed again in exasperation and picked up the little fox, who shot Embers every which way in protest. The Piplup charged at the waterfall and leapt. For about three seconds the duo was pummeled by the water, then were plopped onto the damp stone floor.

Ranta struggled out of Tide's grip, completely soaked, and shivering from head to toe. She shook her pelt as if she had filthy Dunsparce clinging to her.*

"Water," she spat disgustedly. "Is water in every single dungeon?"

"No," Bidoof said, irritated, as he was showered with more water. "Some dungeons are deserts, and there's probably some fire dungeon somewhere, if that'd make you happy."

As Ranta glowered, Tide interrupted them. "C'mon, guys, let's just go do our job for the day, then we can go home and get some rest."

The two four-legged Pokemon couldn't ague with Tide's logic.

**Waterfall Cave, B First Floor. Objective: None.**

While Waterfall Cave was a relatively easy dungeon, it proved many more a hazard for Fire Pokemon than Beach Cave. One, the cave was much more dark (this wasn't necessarily a hazard - Fire Pokemon could produce their own light), which reduced visibility of such things as what Ranta referred to as _'giant, stupid puddles.'_ This, with the already damp floor, proved the dungeon capable of 'slipping you up.' Not to mention that water tended to leak down from above.

A spat of water dropped down from the ceiling, landing square on Amarante's muzzle. Mumbling, she shook it off. "This dungeon is worser than the one at the beach."

"You mean worse," Bidoof surprisingly corrected. The brown mouse was taking up the rear of the patrol.

"Yeah," Ranta muttered. "That."

"Okay, guys, keep your eyes peeled for the stairs, please." Tide was already exasperated and tired. The humidity of the cave reminded him of the fog in his dream, and that wasn't helping his mood either.

After following a winding hall and coming across no enemy Pokemon, the trio entered a long room. Tide squinted his eyes, and saw a spec of gold near the end. He also noticed that the stairs were about halfway down the hall.

"Hey Bidoof, can you run ahead of us and grab those Poke?" he pointed with his hand to where the money lay. "It wouldn't hurt to have a little extra."

Bidoof nodded and trotted down the room's length, looking around every so often, just in case there was an enemy in the darkness.

Tide and Ranta followed more slowly. Tide stifled a shudder when they passed a gaping entrance to a hallway, which was extremely dark and looked like it could swallow the both of them at any moment.

Tide gave himself a mental shake. There wasn't anything to be afraid of. Heck, he'd defeated Primal Dialga. A little darkness wouldn't kill him.

_**Tide…**_

Shivers went up Tide's spine when he heard Olivia's voice. He glanced back at the dark entrance, but saw no one. It felt like she was there, like she was right behind him, but he couldn't see her. It was as if she was reminding him that he wasn't alone when Primal Dialga was defeated.

_Damn it, Tide, _he told himself. _Stop imagining things. She's not there._

_She's not there._

When they got to the stairs, Tide wordlessly took the money from Bidoof and put it in the money pocket of his Treasure Bag.

For the rest of the dungeon, the group, unless needing to speak, went along in a stony silence.

---

The sun was almost touching the horizon when the trio finally got back to the guild. All of them were wet, tired, and frustrated, although they had completed all of their jobs. Tide was struggling to keep his feelings down, Ranta was glowering from getting wet, and Bidoof was being a bit of a grump, because, well, he was just plain annoyed.

After collecting their reward (and having most of it taken by the guild, then splitting it up between Bidoof and Team Siempre) they had supper with the rest of the guild. The apples and berries seemed tasteless in Tide's mouth. Despite his resistance, his dream kept replaying over and over in his mind, from the cold stars all the way to Grovyle's hand on his shoulder, and back again.

Unlike the night before, Tide's belly wasn't full to the brim. Ranta was curled up next to him on the hay bed, finally dry, with her white-and-red, slightly curly tail over her nose.

While the little fox feel asleep quickly, what with her exhausting day, Tide found sleep to be harder to find. Finally, with his mind spent, he fell into somewhat of a restless sleep.

After he was sure that the two were asleep, Bidoof rose and padded out of the room, back to his old bedroom.

_

* * *

_

***Dunsparces look like maggots, no?**

**Okay, this probably seemed short and - as I see it - boring. Well, most of it, probably. Anyways, now the gears are starting to shift faster, so to say. Anyways, here's a reminder - I love foreshadowing. I usually see it miles away. So, there's already been foreshadowing. And symbolism, if you know what the heck that means (I give thanks to my English teacher, even though I hate literary anaylsis stuff).**

**I'm much more a plot person than a chapter length person. Reviews are very welcome!**


	8. The Surprise

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon.**

**There are many advantages to having the flu. I've almost finished Explorers of the Sky, and I finished this... filler. Ugh, no matter how hard I worked on this, it was futile. This is a filler, (though with some plot) and it has 1.4k words... I don't like it, but it wouldn't get better, so here it is.**

* * *

**Seven: The Surprise Visitor during Guard Duty**

_Wind blew freely across the stone path that led to the Rainbow Stoneship. The curved trail seemed to be suspended in the air, as if the power of time held it up._

_**Even after I disappear from here, Tide, I'll never forget you.**_

_Tide stared at the Charmander in front of him. "O-Olivia? Why… are you leaving?"_

_**The future is changed; I have to disappear. I'll miss you.**_

_Olivia's mouth didn't move when she spoke. The light around her, although bright, seemed sinister to Tide. It was engulfing Olivia, trying to steal her away…_

"_But if you're gone…like this… how can you miss me?" Tide whimpered._

_Suddenly, Olivia's expression changed, as if she had broken free of a bond that had kept her face frozen. She writhed in the light; her eyes were wide with fear. __**Tide! Don't let me disappear! Tide!**_

_Tide lunged forward to try and grasp Olivia's hands, but the light pushed him away. The light had become tentacles, lashing out at all who opposed to take its prey away from it. At its center, Olivia struggled against the bonds that held her like living ropes. _

_The yellow light of the tentacles hared toward Tide, as if they were ravenous and Tide was a hopeless piece of prey._

_**Help, Tide! Help me!**_

_The tentacles wrapped around Tide, squeezing him until he was gasping for breath._

_**Help!**_

_Just as black spots started to appear in Tide's vision, the tentacles swung him like an Olympic hammer and tossed him over the side of the stone path. Like a stone, Tide plummeted through the air. Down, down, down…_

_**Tide! Help!**_

"GET UP!"

Tide jolted awake. He gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his chest. Sitting up, he realized that he was in his room in the guild. Loudred stood in the doorway, glowering.

"GET UP! UP, I tell you. For the FIFTEENTH time, U- oh. You're up. GOOD!" Loudred scowled. "You MISSED morning briefing; no matter what, you would NOT wake up! Now, Chatot and Ranta are waiting in the main room for you - Diglett's day off is today, and it's YOUR job to guard the guild." With that, the Big Voice Pokemon turned and headed back down the hall.

Tide groaned. What kind of messed-up dream was _that?_ And why did it have him quivering his feathers off? _It was just a dream, Tide._

_Just a dream._

Shakily, Tide got to his feet. He purposely shuddered, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that encased him like a thick cloud. He blinked, but in the spare second his eyes were closed, he saw the tentacles of light thrashing wildly.

He held back an involuntary shudder and hurried down the hall, grabbing his Treasure Bag from its hook; he would need the apples in it if he and Ranta were going to spend all day in the sentry tunnel.

When he entered the main room, he found Chatot and Ranta waiting for him beside the mouth of the tunnel, just as Loudred said. He quickly walked over to them, hoping that he didn't look as frightened as he felt.

"Nice to see you up, Tide," Chatot said coldly. "I assume you know your job for the day?"

Tide nodded. He didn't trust his voice, in case it was high with fear. _It was a dream, get over it! _he screamed at himself in his head.

"Good. The apprentices have already left, so you'll just have to keep a lookout for any visitors. Oh, and Tide," the Guildmaster's assistant added as the duo prepared to head down the tunnel, "I hope you'll show up to morning briefing on time, in the future?"

"I will, Chatot," Tide promised before climbing down the tunnel into the darkness, Ranta right behind him.

The tunnel was stifling and stagnant. There wasn't a breeze, and the fact that sunlight poured directly into it at the sentry post at noontime didn't help. Tide and Ranta followed the tunnel along the earthen, twisted passageway to the post, and settled down. It was going to be a long day.

It was about an hour after dawn, and the sun was just starting to peek into the sentry post. Wisps of cloud scudded across the sky, and Peliper soared on the wind. Every once in a while, a Pokemon would come up to the guild, and Tide would begin the all too repetitive footprint identification with Loudred. Once the visitor was deemed 'evil' or 'non-evil,' the gate would be risen and the visitor allowed inside. But in a matter of minutes, the visitor would leave, the gate be closed, and boredom would be allowed to ensue again.

When the sun was directly overhead, Ranta rummaged in the Treasure back and pulled an apple out with her teeth, chewing it slowly after she settled back down again. A thoughtful, slightly worried look was on her face.

For the first time that morning, Tide's dream was forgotten. "Something up, Ranta?"

Ranta swallowed her bite of apple and looked up at Tide. "Well… In your sleep, you were saying… 'Oh-larvae-uh' again. Who is that?"

Tide regretted asking the question, as the memory of his dream surfaced, sending his heart pounding as fast as a Tauros could run. "Y-you mean Olivia." Tide tried hard to keep the stutter out of his voice. He resisted the urge to gasp for breath in the already stifling heat of the tunnel as he imagined the tentacles of light wrapping around his form, engulfing him in strangling light before throwing him off the side of the stone path, unable to help Olivia…

"Yeah." Ranta's voice snapped him out of his horrendous daydream. "Olivia. Who is she?"

Tide hesitated before deciding that Ranta, as a member of his (and Olivia's) team, should know about the former leader of Team Siempre. "Olivia was my…best friend. She was a human, but somehow she turned into a Charmander."

"Human?" Ranta's interest was piqued. "I thought those were legends that Chatot made up. He told me about them while you were asleep this morning."

Tide frowned. "I don't' know much about humans, only that no one in Treasure Town has even heard of sightings of them. Anyway... Olivia was from the future. You see, in the future, time was broken. The wind didn't blow, the sun didn't rise, and the world was dark and most of the Pokemon were chaotic. She, Grovyle, and Celebi joined together to stop the destruction of time…"

Tide went on, finding it easier to speak with each passing moment. He hadn't spoken about Olivia since she disappeared, and it felt good to talk. He ranged from reminiscing of past adventures to ranting about the malicious Dusknoir.

When he came to the final part of the story, he pretended to scratch his face to hide wiping a tear. He described Olivia's final moments as briefly as possible, then fell silent. His throat was parched, and his tongue was rather numb from the nonstop talking.

The two sat in silence as the sun descended in the sky; for a few moments it sat on the edge of the rim of the Footprint Grate, then disappeared from view.

Amarante absent-mindedly fiddled with the leftover core of her apple. "I bet Olivia misses you."

_But how can she miss me,_ Tide thought with a shudder, _if she's completely gone? _

Just then, a sudden light filled the tunnel from above. Ranta, startled, forgot about her apple core and dashed behind Tide.

A loud _crash_ erupted from the grate above as something fell out the blue light. Splinters of wood cascaded down around the duo as the certain _something _landed on the floor with a sickening _thump._

Tide stared in disbelief at the creature before him. It grumbled something about someday learning how to land as it brought itself into a sitting position and brushed the dirt off its pink arms.

"… Stupid Passage of Time…" the distinctly feminine voice continued to grumble.

Suddenly, the pink Pokemon stiffened, as if remembering something vitally important, then whipped her head around. When she spotted Tide and Amarante, she almost fell backwards in surprise.

"I didn't expect to find you this… easily," Celebi commented with a giggle. She caught herself, then added with an exceptionally serious tone: "Tide. I have to see Wigglytuff, _now."_

_

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_

**Okay, don't expect another update for a while, I've been gone from school for over a week... at that means trouble. Ah, my poor brain, I don't know how I'll finish all that homework...**


	9. The Freeze

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. I own the characters, but their respective species are owned by the respective owners of Pokemon. That's not me.**

**Anyways, I'm sick. Again. More homework *shudder* so don't expect more too soon. **

**Also, I'm working on another story! Yipee! This new story has consumed much of my free time in my journal, and I expect the chapters to be at least longer than 2k each chapter. The main character will be revealed in this chapter, but I have absolutely no clue as to when it will but published, as I still have some kinks to work out. But I hope that the fans of this story will keep an eye out for this new one. It's most likely going to be entitled: "Sparks, a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: SEM Story". (SEM stands for Someone Else's Memories, the title of this fic.) And no, "Sparks" does not have a reference to the Electric type.**

**About 3,064 words. Crap, I wanted this to be longer, but oh well. Sorry if the first part of the chapter seems a little bit rushed.**

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**Eight: The Freeze**

"Wigglytuff, thank Arceus I got here in time!" Celebi exclaimed as she burst into the Guildmaster's chamber.

_Arceus…? What the hell is happening?_ Tide, still in shock, was completely perplexed by the whole situation. And he hadn't even heard half of it yet.

Ranta stood beside him, eyes wide with curiosity. She had gotten over the initial shock of a Pokemon almost landing directly on top of her, and instead was probably wondering just what kind of Pokemon Celebi was.

"Who are you?" Wigglytuff asked excitedly. "Do you have a Perfect Apple?"

"Uh… no," Celebi stammered. "Wigglytuff, I'm not here for a social visit. We all need to get to the future as fast as possible. This is an emergency!"

Chatot, who had been in the Guildmaster's chamber discussing the guild's income, squawked. "Who are you?!"

"My name is Celebi," the Time Travel Pokemon explained. "I'm from the future, where Olivia and Tide went. But I can't explain any further, we're all in terrible danger!"

Suddenly, Celebi gasped and grasped at her left arm. Tide noticed that it was slightly gray in color compared to her other arm.

"Celebi, what's happening?" the Piplup asked forcefully.

Wigglytuff clapped his hands together. "Tide, we're obviously playing a game of some sort! Ooh, I wonder what it is!"

Celebi snarled, and all the Pokemon in the room jumped backwards. "Not even I have time to dawdle, Wigglytuff. Gather the apprentices and meet me in front of the guild. This is not something to be taken as a game!"

She grabbed Tide's hand and pulled him closer to her. "Where's Olivia?"

"S-she disappeared… and why are you here?! Weren't you and Grovyle supposed to disappear too?"

Celebi ignored the question and instead cursed. "I had a feeling she was gone…" She shook her head as if to clear it. "Never mind that… you have to come with me, I can't let you stay here."

Celebi pulled Tide out of the Guildmaster's chamber, leaving the Guildmaster and Chatot to share a confused glance. Ranta ran flat-out behind them. While Celebi flew up the ladder, Ranta was left to climbing up slowly.

"Wait for her!" Tide exclaimed.

"I can't, there's no time!" Celebi argued.

"But we can't leave her!"

Celebi huffed and dropped Tide in the main entrance of the guild, and then turned back and dived down into the hole for the ladder, only to return a moment later with Ranta tucked under her arm. The little fox was struggling against Celebi's grip, but otherwise wasn't attacking.

"Happy?" Celebi asked as she pulled Tide out of the guild.

Outside, a dimensional hole hovered above the splintered remains of the Footprint Grate. Tide was reminded of the first time he'd seen a dimensional hole, back when Dusknoir had sent him, Olivia, and Grovyle to the future.

Tide pulled back from Celebi's grip. "Wait, where's Dusknoir?!"

"I don't think we'll be seeing him for a while," Celebi muttered. "But Tide, I have to send you to the future _now_. We can't have any delays. Trust me, Grovyle will tell you everything you need to know."

With that, the Time Travel Pokemon tossed Ranta into the dimensional hole, and then pushed Tide in after the red fox.

---

Traveling through a dimensional hole was never 'fun' for Tide. Traveling through both time and space made you spin until it felt like you would throw up, and you rarely landed without getting knocked out. The third time wasn't the charm in Tide's case.

When he woke up, Tide's head was foggy. He had to blink several times to make out the wooden floor beneath him. He heard a voice, and it took a moment to make out what it was saying.

"I see you haven't gotten the hang of time traveling yet."

Tide's head shot up. "G-Grovyle?"

"That's my name, last time I checked." Grovyle extended his hand to help Tide.

For a moment, Tide was afraid that when he touched Grovyle, his hand would go straight through the Wood Gecko, just like his Hydro Pump had in his dream. But he mentally shook it off and grasped Grovyle's hand and stood.

The room was plain and made entirely of wood. A door stood at one end, and stacks of boxes lined the walls.

"Where are we?" Tide asked groggily.

"We use this room for storage of basic items, like Stun Seeds and such," Grovyle explained. "There are tons of other rooms like this."

"No, I mean, where _are_ we?" Tide corrected.

"In a moment." For a split second, Grovyle looked down at his feet. "Is Olivia…?" "She's gone," Tide said bluntly.

Grovyle nodded. "We thought she was. Anyways," Grovyle said as he turned and opened the door, "I'll tell you about everything, but we have to talk on the way to the infirmary. Your Vulpix friend sprained her paw when she landed."

"Her name is Amarante. Or Ranta."

"Amarante?" Grovyle's interest was piqued, but he said nothing else and led the way into a curved, wooden hallway. He turned left, and as the two Pokemon started down the hall, Tide realized that the curve was part of a perfect circle.

"Grovyle? Just where are we?"

"We're at the Base for Pokemon Protection, BPP. All kinds of Pokemon come here for protection or other things. You could say it's like a bigger version of Wigglytuff's Guild. After you and Olivia saved the future, me, Celebi, and Dusknoir started it."

"What do you mean, 'Dusknoir'?" Tide couldn't believe his ears.

"I know what you're thinking," Grovyle warned, looking down at Tide. "But to put it shortly, Dusknoir came to our side. But right now, he's in the spirit world. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

"Somehow, the Pokemon of the future were saved. But very few of us still have memories of the planet's paralysis. Celebi told me that it was Arceus who saved us-"

Tide stood in Grovyle's way. "Who's Arceus? I heard Celebi say it before."

Grovyle sidestepped around Tide. "According to legend, Arceus is the god of all Pokemon. Now please, hold your questions until I'm done."

_Pokemon… god?_ The closest Pokemon Tide had ever heard of being a god was Mew.

"Anyways," Grovyle continued as Tide trotted along after him, "more and more Pokemon have come here." He paused when they came to a door on the inside of the curved hallway. He pushed a button beside the door, and a moment later it opened into a small room.

Again, this room was basic and wooden. The floor was full of scrapes from Pokemons' feet, and the walls were polished. A small orange ghost levitated in the corner.

"What floor?" The Pokemon's voice was high, and had an electric _zip_ to it.

"The infirmary, Rotom," Grovyle replied.

The Pokemon - Rotom - nodded and sank into the floor. The room gave a jolt and started to move downwards.

"Whoa!" Tide exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Rotom's elevator won't fall." Grovyle clicked his talons, as if losing patience with the speed of the elevator.

"Well…" Tide hesitantly agreed with Grovyle's claim. "Why are more Pokemon coming here?"

Grovyle sighed and put his forehead in his palm, conveying exhaustion. "We're calling it The Freeze. Pokemon from generations past are apparently freezing in time and turning to stone. Celebi could explain that part better, once she gets back.

"That's why Dusknoir isn't here - he's in the spirit world to try and see if the Pokemon who are frozen are dead or alive as of now. But time in the spirit world isn't like ours. One second here could be a hundred years there, or vice versa."

Grovyle looked over at Tide. "That's why Celebi came to the past for you. We were hoping that you would help us figure out why and how this is happening."

"How much ti-"

"_Ding!_" Rotom called as the elevator jerked to a stop. The door slid open, revealing part of a large circular wooden room. Beds lined the outer wall, and windows brought in natural light.

"Is everything in this base made of wood?" Tide asked as he and Grovyle stepped out of the elevator.

"Of course," Grovyle replied, slightly surprised. "The base is the biggest tree in Apple Woods."

"We're in a _tree_?" Tide asked incredulously. "A tree that you say is for the protection of _all _Pokemon?"

Grovyle shrugged. "In your time, a thousand years ago, this tree wasn't that big, but it's in a mystery dungeon, where time is sped up, but still relates to the time of the outside world. This tree is still living, and probably still will in another thousand years."

A pink egg-shaped Pokemon with white furls (Tide recognized it as a Blissey) hurried up to Grovyle from the side of one of the beds. "Mister Grovyle, we healed the Vulpix's paw. She's over there." The Blissey pointed toward one of the beds, and then scurried away to another patient.

Amarante was dozing on the cot, a thin sheet laid over her form. Tide made to shake her a little, but Grovyle extended his arm to stop him.

"Tide, will Amarante help us, or interfere?"

"What?"

Grovyle crossed his arms. "We have no time to delay. Will Amarante help us, or delay us?"

"Ranta's helpful," Tide said, slightly uncertain.

"How old is she?"

"Four days," Tide mumbled.

Grovyle shook his head. "I'm sorry Tide, but I wouldn't even consider having her help us until she was at least two weeks old. For now, she'll go to the nursery floor."

"Technically she's a thousand years and four days," Tide tried to reason.

"Heh, yeah." Grovyle rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes caught the sight of someone behind Tide. "I'll leave you to tell her that," Grovyle said hastily, then hurried away.

Tide looked over his shoulder to see Grovyle conversing in low whispers to a Pokemon with green arms, white legs, a bluish-green horn of some sort on its head, and a red triangle-like protrusion from its chest. A scar ran down one of his arms.

Amarante yawned and caught Tide's attention. The little fox's eyes were glazed with drowsiness, but then suddenly grew alert.

"W-what happened?" she asked, growing anxious.

"It's okay, Ranta," Tide soothed. "It's kinda complicated, but we're in the future. Listen, for a while, you have to stay in the nursery here. But it'll be fun, I promise."

Ranta relaxed and stood on her cot. "Okay, when are we going?"

"Uh, I don't think you-"

Suddenly, Grovyle and the Pokemon with the green arms were beside him. "Tide, we have to get going. There's a meeting me and Saif have to get to, and you're coming with us."

The green and white Pokemon huffed. "You were never patient enough for introductions, Grovyle." He extended his hand to Tide's in greeting. "My name is Saif, I'm a Gallade." He looked over to Ranta. "And this is…?"

Ranta shuffled her paws. "I'm Amarante, but you can call me Ranta if you'd like."

"Okay, Ranta." Saif looked back to Tide. "Did I hear you say she was going to the nursery?"

"You did," Grovyle huffed. "She's only four days old; she'd be more of a…delay than a helper."

"Hmph." Saif crossed his arms. "I was a week old when I was left without a mother. Young Pokemon have good minds, she'll be a help."

A tension seemed to hang in the air between Grovyle and Saif. They each stood stiff and eyed each other. Finally, Grovyle backed down.

"Fine," he sighed. "Who am I to oppose the owner of the base?"

"You own the tree?" Tide said stupidly.

Saif laughed. "Me and my mate do," he corrected. "We found it, and when we met Grovyle and the others, we had only been able to carve one room into the place. Luckily, Celebi helped out with that part."

"We'd better get a move on; the meeting room is only accessible through a special elevator." Grovyle turned and headed back to the elevator, apparently not caring if anyone followed him or not.

In the elevator, Grovyle instructed Rotom to take them to the ground floor. The floor jerked, and Ranta yipped and jumped.

"It's okay," Saif soothed. "We won't get hurt."

Ranta reluctantly nodded, and the elevator continued down the ground floor with a soft electrical hum.

Finally, they reach the ground floor. The doors opened to reveal an extremely large room packed with Pokemon of all specie. Most were in an uproar. Pidgey flew around in the air; Aron stomped their feet nervously; two or three Absol grouped together and spoke in low whispers. It was wall to wall with Pokemon. Tide wondered if any Wurmple had been digested yet.

Grovyle grimaced. "Stay close, we have to get to the door on the other side. If you get lost, get to a wall as quick as possible, and avoid feet."

Ranta pressed up against Tide fearfully as they made their way through the crowd. Saif had to elbow several Pokemon out of the way at points. Pokemon bumped into them, shoved them, or shouted at them. One, a green and white Pokemon that resembled a Gallade, grasped Tide's arm. Her hair must've once been a beautiful green, but now it was grizzled and snarled in tangles. Her eyes were bloodshot, and held a maniac quality.

"Don't let Arceus do this to us!" she begged. "He's already punished my family! Help us!"

She was pulled back by a brown-and-tan striped Pokemon. "Don't worry," the Furret soothed. "Arceus will pull us through."

Understandably more nervous, Tide hurried after Grovyle and Saif as the obviously senile Pokemon was pulled gently away by the Furret.

"It's Grovyle!" a voice boomed. "And Saif!"

Other voices started to pour over the group's ears.

"Grovyle! Save us!"

"What's happening?!"

"Arceus will save us, not them!"

It became pure chaos. More Pokemon surged around the four, jostling their way to try to get to either Grovyle or Saif. A pink Pokemon with a thick pelt of wool brushed up against Tide, and inadvertently shocked him. A tan Pokemon with a muscular hide, a brown mane, and silver hooves trod on Ranta's newly healed paw.

"Stop it!" the fox squealed, shooting an Ember into the tan Pokemon's face.

The Pokemon stamped its hoof (thankfully missing Ranta's paw) and flared its nostrils. "You'll regret that!" it snarled, trembling with rage.

Tide dashed forward, but Saif was faster. The Gallade extended one of his arm swords in the blink of an eye and brought it within an inch of the tan Pokemon's neck.

"You touch her, Tauros," Saif warned darkly, "and your head will be mounted on my wall."

The Pokemon - Tauros - flared its nostrils, but backed off. It glared at Ranta, but didn't move.

Saif withdrew his elbow blade and scooped the little fox into his arms. With a free hand, he grabbed Tide's arm and pulled him along through the crowd his eyes fixed firmly ahead. Grovyle was less than a pace behind them.

Pokemon still pushed up against them, some roaring with range, and others pleading for help.

_What the hell is wrong with these Pokemon?_ Tide wondered. _It's worse than when the world was paralyzed. The Pokemon were still twisted, but at least they didn't mob!_

It was slow, completely tedious work to get to the door at the end of the hall. Saif and Grovyle had to use all their strength to push the door closed to keep the Pokemon from the hall outside. Once the door was locked, Saif and Grovyle leaned against it to catch their breath.

"I swear, Saif," Grovyle said harshly. "The meeting room has to be somewhere else."

"I know," the Gallade agreed. "This is one of those times that I know I'm lucky I can't read their emotions like the rest of my kind can."

Grovyle nodded in silent agreement of some unspoken message in the sentence. "If all goes well, we won't have to deal with this much longer."

"What do you mean by that?" Tide asked, worried that Grovyle meant that he was looking forward to freezing in time.

Grovyle chuckled. "Not what you think, Tide. We have a lead on how to stop the Freeze. But time wise, it'd be better to fill you in at the meeting, when Celebi's there."

"Um, excuse me?" a voice said, with the same electric _zip_ that the Rotom on the other elevator had.

Saif looked up at the orange ghost that levitated across from them. "Oh, sorry Rotom. To the meeting room, please."

"Password?" the Rotom asked.

"Of course," Saif sighed. "_Por favor_."

"Right away, sirs. Going to the basement floor." The Rotom shrank into the walls, and the room jerked and began to travel down.

Tide blinked in confusion. "_Por favor_ was something Olivia said…"

Grovyle nodded. "Olivia studied human languages. I remember, whenever we had free time, she would pore over the books she carried with her." Grovyle looked down at Tide. "That was all she had of her family. She wanted to come to the past to help save the world from the planet's paralysis, but before we disappeared she wanted to try and find the humans living in your time."

"Huh?" Ranta blinked. "Humans lived when we did?"

Saif nodded. "I don't remember the planet's paralysis, but there have always been legends of humans. I met a Glaceon - who we should be meeting in a moment - and he told me many stories about humans of the past."

The elevator jerked to a stop. "We're here!" the Rotom called cheerfully.

**

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome. Constructive critism helps. :D

Remember to keep a lookout for my new story, "Sparks, a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: SEM Story", coming soon! It will be related deeply into this story.

Have a nice day!


	10. A Meeting of Minds

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DISCLAIMER: I don't intend to claim ownership to Pokemon. All I own are the characters, but their respective species are owned by the respective owners of Pokemon.

**I had fun writting this chapter. Lots of conflict in here. Gotta love that.**

**Notice, the word "Freeze" is always referred to as a proper noun when used in the manner of freezing in time.**

**About 2,824 words. Better than nothing :)**

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**Nine: The Meeting of Minds**

The meeting room had no windows - which made sense, since it was underground. Light was provided by small Luminous Orbs hanging from the ceiling with cords (usually, Orbs had to be broken to be used, but obviously in the future technology was a bit more advanced - at least with electricity). It was wide and circular, with a round wooden table taking up most of the room. On the table was a map of the Esplori region. On the far side of the wall, a curtain was drawn on the upper half around some unknown object on a shelf.

Saif noticed the curtain, and hissed to Grovyle. "Why'd you cover it with that _rag_?"

Grovyle scoffed. "That thing is not a proper weapon, for one. And we're supposed to convey peace."

Saif glared. "It _is _a proper weapon, and it shows that we will fight for peace if we have to."

Grovyle huffed and turned to Tide and Ranta. "Come on, we have to find a seat."

All around the table were various specie of Pokemon. Some had an air of boredom to them, while others seemed anxious for one reason or another. The only empty chairs that Tide saw were on the other side of the table.

Grovyle led the way along the wall, sticking close to it as to not disturb the Pokemon sitting in the chairs. Tide hurried after them, Ranta behind him. Saif took up the rear.

When they finally found seats, Tide sat next to Grovyle, while Ranta sat to Tide's left next to Saif. Tide noticed that two seats were still left to be filled.

"Who are all the Pokemon here? " Tide asked Grovyle.

Grovyle crossed his arms, already impatient. "Oh, just tribe leaders and such. Some are solitary rovers who have gifted minds. A few are assistants to their tribe leader. We've never had a meeting this large before."

"Who are we waiting for?" a light purple feline-like Pokemon called out impatiently. He had large ears and a small red orb on his head. "Let's get started already."

A few Pokemon muttered agreement.

Saif stood to address them. "We are waiting for Celebi and a few others. They should be here in a few short minutes."

As if his words had summoned them, the hum of the elevator announced the arrival of the missing Pokemon. As the door opened, Celebi flew out and hovered above the map in the center of the table.

"Sorry we're late," Celebi apologized. "We got caught up in a slight snag in the past."

Wigglytuff and Chatot filed out of the elevator, their faces (well, actually, Chatot's face) surprised at the number of Pokemon in the room. When Wigglytuff spotted Tide, he jumped and waved.

"Friendly friends! Tide! Ranta! Oh, and Grovyle too!"

Tide felt like sinking down under the table.

"Welcome," Saif greeted, somehow undaunted at Wigglytuff's outburst. "Please, take a seat." He waved with his arm to the empty chairs.

The scar on the Gallade's arm glistened in the light of the Luminous Orbs, and Chatot visibly flinched. The bird quickly covered his flinch with a nod, and led Wigglytuff around the table to their seats.

Once they were seated, Saif nodded to Celebi and sat back down.

Celebi bowed to the Pokemon around the table. "Welcome, but I won't waste your time with silly introductions. I'm sure you all have been somehow affected by the Freeze, and I will further explain-"

A Manectric stood up. "Aye, it's affected my tribe by having a _herd of Wingull_ drop down on us!"

Other Pokemon around the table raised their voices in agreement. A few stood and barked stories that resembled Manectric's.

Celebi huffed and used her Psychic powers to create the image of a bell in front of her. She grabbed it by its tiny handle and shook it. Its soothing melody fell upon the ears of the Pokemon around the table, and they instantly calmed down.

"As I was saying," Celebi said as she put the bell down on the table. She straightened up and closed her eyes, focusing her powers. The table's map disappeared, and was replaced by a black tabletop with a white line with hash marks on it. One end ended with a golden-colored dot, while the other end was shown with an arrow that pointed to Grovyle.

"I hate it when she does something like this," Grovyle muttered loud enough for Tide to hear.

"This is a timeline," Celebi instructed, waving her pink hand up and down the line. "It started when Arceus created the universe-" a couple Pokemon scoffed at this, while others nodded in complete agreement at the statement "- and goes on for as far as Dialga can see. To make things easier, this dot -" she pointed to the one that ended one part of the line "- is when Arceus created the universe. And that dot -" she pointed to a white dot that instantly appeared just before the arrow pointing to Grovyle "- will show the year that we're in now, three-thousand twenty-seven."

She flicked her finger, and the number 3,027 appeared below the dot. She flicked her finger again, and the number 0 appeared below the dot that represented the time when Arceus created the universe.

She hovered over to a spot near the middle of the timeline, but more closer to the arrow than to the start of the timeline. "Here is when the planet's paralysis was prevented in the year two-thousand twenty-six - you can thank Tide and Olivia the Charmander-slash-human for that," she added, pointing to Tide, who blushed under the stares of the other Pokemon, thankful for the down that covered his red cheeks.

Celebi touched the spot on the timeline with her toe, and a blue dot appeared, with the number 2,026 under it.

"Now, Dialga suggested to Arceus - who agreed - that generations would be separated by a span of fifty years." Tall green hash marks appeared on the timeline, each the same distance from the other. "As you can see, we are in the sixty-first generation. Now, exactly forty-one days ago, ancient Pokemon Froze, and the legends, other than the ones who can reproduce, have disappeared - in other words, we have no clue if they are Frozen or not. They were from the first generation."

"If the first generation froze, why are we still here?" Chatot called out. Immediately he shrank back into his chair at the stares from the other Pokemon.

Celebi nodded. "Good question, but I'm afraid that's a… difficult topic. You see, time acts in ways that any Pokemon other than me and Dialga could never comprehend. It's a taboo to speak of time in that manner unless there is absolutely positively no other way around it. But according to Dialga's rules, this -" she pointed to the timeline on the table "- is vague enough not to be part of the taboo."

Chatot, still embarrassed, nodded.

"Now, the generations and our current time are connected," Celebi continued. "For some reason we don't know yet, the Freeze started. Each day, at exactly midnight, Pokemon from the past freeze in time and appear here, in our time and generation. Tonight's Freeze would've made Tide's generation become still in the timeline, and we still don't know if bringing them to the future will protect the Pokemon I brought here today."

Tide's mouth fell open. "Y-you mean that we could freeze in time?" Tide couldn't believe his ears.

Celebi nodded gravely. "We could all Freeze. We have twenty days till that happens. Which is why I - I mean, _we,_" Celebi corrected when she noticed Grovyle's stare. "We have enlisted the help of the knowledgeable Conteur, who has information with which we may solve this problem." With that, Celebi hovered away to the edge of the table next to Grovyle.

A light blue Pokemon that resembled a feline stood up. He had rhombus ears, and dark blue hair that fell down on either side of his face.

Saif leaned over to speak to Ranta and Tide. "That's the Glaceon I was telling you about. He's very wise, so pay attention."

The Glaceon cleared his throat, and then began to speak. "Hello. I am Conteur, a storyteller of sorts."

One Pokemon snorted and was quickly hushed.

Conteur continued as if nothing had happened. "Being a storyteller, I know many legends. To get to the point, one particular legend speaks of treasures that would aid any world crisis if the legends weren't able to help us.

"The legend tells of the original seventeen humans in this world. They were created directly by Arceus, and given their souls by the Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. Their names have worn away with time, and the legend only exists orally. But Arceus gave each of them a treasure to represent the type they ruled over."

A large, burly Zangoose stood up suddenly. "You expect us to believe that there were humans that ruled us?! You've got to be kidding!"

Other Pokemon stood and shouted, most going along with the Zangoose while others argued against it. The yelling continued, and Ranta put her head on the table and covered her ears with her paws.

Celebi huffed again and put her hand out. The bell flew from its spot on the table to her hand, and she shook it. Its short melody rang out, and the Pokemon immediately relaxed, though it took a moment for all of them to sit down.

Conteur continued. "The treasures gave the humans immunity to sickness, but not immunity to wounds of battle. Arceus also gave the treasures a tremendous power that would only unlock when all the treasures were together. For safekeeping, the humans hid their treasures in the heart of mystery dungeons. But the mystery dungeons were never specified in the legend, and the treasures are lost."

An idea began to form in the back of Tide's mind. He reached for it mentally, but was blocked by a sudden fog, and then the idea was lost. A moment later, he forgot about the whole mental ordeal.

The purple feline-like Pokemon stood. "Excuse me, but how do you suppose that we find these so-called 'treasures'? We have no clues as to where they are."

"True, Espeon," Conteur agreed. "But there is a place where we might find clues."

"And where, would you say, is that?" Espeon inquired.

"The Old Ruins in the Hidden Land, of course."

Several Pokemon stood. A tan cat with thick whiskers and a red gem on its head growled. "We can't get there, find clues, and find the treasures in twenty days!"

"And just _who_is going to go?!" Espeon cried. "I sure am not going to have my tribe be 'protected' by just anyone!"

"Quiet!" Celebi called, shaking her bell again furiously. Once the Pokemon had calmed down, she continued. "You each may choose one Pokemon - or none, if that is the case - to go on this mission. They will be split up into several teams to reach the Old Ruins, and will regroup to search the area thoroughly. But one Pokemon will be chosen to oversee the search, and that will be decided among us leaders of the BPP. We will leave you to go find your choice of Pokemon, and we will _all_ regroup here in one hour exactly. If you are not here by then, we will assume you will not aid this mission. This meeting is dismissed."

As the members of the meeting adjourned, a few of them grumbled to each other. Celebi flew over the table and spoke to Wigglytuff and Chatot. After a few moments, Celebi flew back while Wigglytuff and Chatot headed toward the elevator.

"All right," Celebi said as she sat down on the edge of the table. "Wigglytuff and Chatot will both come back later with their choice. Now, we have to decide who's going to lead them all."

"I will," Grovyle and Saif said at the same time. Immediately, they both stood.

"I know Unown runes in the Old Ruins," Grovyle noted.

"You can't lead a Slowpoke through a well!" Saif crossed his arms. "I'm a much better leader than you."

"I'll go," Celebi offered, obviously fed up. "I know Unown runes, and I have more experience than the both of you. Besides, once we find any hint, I'll send word through telepathy so that you two can figure out what to do. Got it?"

Grovyle and Saif both glowered at Celebi, then reluctantly nodded.

"Good." Celebi turned to Tide and Ranta. "You two will be staying here. We need your help to find those mystery dungeons. You're explorers, so I suppose you'll stop at nothing to find treasure," Celebi added with a giggle, her fickle attitude showing.

Tide nodded, still a little too overwhelmed with all that had happened to speak.

Ranta piped up. "Um, where's the Old Ruins? In the Hidden Land, right?"

Grovyle nodded. "Yes."

"Well… how are you going to get there? Is Lapras still there?"

"I see Tide told you a lot," Celebi commented. "But Lapras is gone, and her descendants - her many descendants - continue the work of ferrying Pokemon across the sea - although only me, Grovyle, and those who have our approval may travel to the Hidden Land."

Saif scanned his eyes around the otherwise empty meeting room. "Celebi, we will only give you a week to find clues in the Old Ruins. After that, we will have to find a new solution to the Freeze."

Grovyle nodded reluctantly. "A week is fair; we have no time to dawdle."

Celebi gasped mockingly. "You think we won't find anything? How rude!"

"It's just a precaution." Grovyle turned to Tide and Amarante. "Once they leave, we're taking you two to the training room. You're… out of shape, to say the least."

Tide nodded. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Celebi, what happened to everyone in Treasure Town?"

"Well…" Celebi looked down for a moment. "I got all the members of your guild here, but not everyone in Treasure Town. Chansey downright refused to leave the Eggs in her care; the Duskull wouldn't even let himself be tangible. And the Xatu wouldn't move a muscle. Now that I think about it, I didn't see the Kangaskhan that I assumed lived in the house shaped like a Kangaskhan. Other than that, those two Keckleon, the Marowak, and the Electivire came. But the Electivire didn't seem too keen on coming…" Celebi trailed off.

"So they will Freeze?" Ranta asked in a low voice.

Celebi nodded sadly. "But we don't know yet if you will too, being here in the future." Celebi rose into the air. "I guess we'll have to see."

"They won't." Saif spoke with absolute certainty.

"How can you be so sure?" Grovyle challenged.

Saif let out a chuckle and crossed his arms. "You wouldn't understand."

"So it's a hunch?" Grovyle narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, you two!" Celebi snapped. "There's never a minute of peace between you two."

"Speaking of which," Saif said. "Celebi, what is your opinion on the--"

"That _again_?!" Celebi's body started to tremble with rage. "You'll never stop with that, will you?! I honestly don't care what you do with it, as long as you two stop arguing about it!"

Grovyle backed up a step, while Saif visibly flinched but otherwise did not move. Ranta whimpered and shrunk down into her chair.

"What are you talking about?" Tide asked before his courage left him.

Saif stared with his eyes up at the curtain above them, which was covering a wooden shelf. "My mentor's most prized creation."

Grovyle mumbled something inaudible under his breath and crossed his arms irritably.

"Be grateful, Grovyle," Saif warned, sliding into a battle stance. "My mentor modeled it after one of your Type's attacks."

Grovyle ignored the words. "The weapons of this world are either from dungeons, or duplicates of those weapons. Not this."

"Hmph." Saif extended one of his elbow blades and slashed upward across the top of the curtain. After the curtain fell, Tide stared at the object propped up on the shelf.

The weapon was deep green, and long. Deeper green leather adorned the handle, and the longer part was slightly curved, and obviously sharp on the outer curve.

"W-what is that?" Tide asked.


	11. The Send Off

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. Do I look like I do?**

**Sorry for the delay, guys, this woulda been up a week ago but I got sidetracked watching Shaman King... I have a strong urge to write a story about it . But I'm busy with TWO stories, of course, this and Sparks. So, here's a chapter to tide you over until I write the next one, hopefully that will be soon but of course, no guarantees.**

**Ten: The Send Off**

"All right, we have only one week to get to the Hidden Land and search the Old Ruins," Celebi explained after all the chosen Pokemon had been assigned to traveling groups. "We have four hours till midnight, and we will leave immediately after that. I recommend that you rest and gather your supplies before then. Now, we'll have to travel by foot, as the Freeze has disrupted what little road system we have toward the Treasure Town Ruins."

Tide, who was standing next to Grovyle, gawped. "R-ruins?"

Grovyle nodded slowly, his eyes studying the chosen Pokemon, who stood in groups on the table, which now showed the map of the Esplori region. "It's a long story. To make it quick, bandits raided Treasure Town, and your guild - well, the guild five hundred years ago - battled them. It was a battle that lasted for days, and by its end there was nothing left to salvage of the town."

"Who won?" Tide asked.

Grovyle looked at Tide out of the corner of his eye. "The bandits. There was a traitor in the guild."

Before Tide could say anything, Celebi continued. "I will lead one group through the Hidden Land. Each of the other teams should decide upon a leader. You will not leave this room until you do. We will meet on the second floor fifteen minutes before midnight. Those of you not heading on this mission, you are dismissed."

The tribe leaders, rovers, and all other Pokemon not heading on the mission reluctantly filed out of the room (the process of which was slow, as definitely not all of them could fit on the elevator at one time).

Tide remembered their reactions to seeing Herrero's Sword. Most had wondered what it was, while others, realizing it was a weapon, nodded in approval. A handful had stared at it in scorn, but no one spoke out against it.

Tide's ears thanked them for that.

Croagunk, Wigglytuff's and Chatot's choice, inflated his cheek sacs and sat on his haunches to let the rest of his team - which consisted of a petit Buizel, a well-muscled Jolteon, and a burly Snover - bickered over who would be the team leader.

The Toxic Mouth Pokemon looked sideways at Tide. "Meh-heh. I guess you're staying here?"

"Yeah," Tide replied absently. His mind was racing with thoughts of what had happened to him in less than a _day. _Now it was almost if he was watching the entire scene through someone else's eyes.

Croagunk let out a sort of groan mixed with a grumble as he let his cheek sacs deflate. "Good luck to you on this end. I think you'll need it, meh-heh." With that, Croagunk shifted his eyes off into space and let his cheek sacs inflate and deflate again in a rhythmic manner.

Saif, who had been studying the exploration party, suddenly turned to Tide and Amarante. "You two must be tired!" he exclaimed. "Time traveling must be a bother, I bet. And listening to us banter probably wasn't good either."

Before Tide could speak, the Gallade turned his head and beckoned with his arm to a Pokemon that Tide had not noticed before. A Chikorita, who had been standing next to the elevator, quickly hurried around the table up to Saif.

"What is it?" she asked. The Pokemon was rather small for her kind, but her eyes held a determined light that showed an age of experience.

"Alessandra, this is Tide, and Ranta. Show them to room seventeen, please."

The Chikorita nodded, and then beckoned with her head leaf for the two to follow her. A little reluctant, Tide followed, and Ranta trotted obediently after him.

"Be ready by half and hour to midnight," Saif called after them. "We'll see everyone off."

Tide looked over his shoulder at the Gallade and nodded, then continued to follow Alessandra around the circular table toward the elevator.

The Chikorita had to stand up on her hind legs to push the button with her leaf. After a moment, there was a rumbling noise. It stopped after a moment, then Alessandra expertly used her leaf to open the door, then motioned for Tide and Ranta to enter it. They complied, and Alessandra closed the door behind them.

"Which floor?" Rotom's head was jutting out from the wall. He visibly shifted when he saw the Chikorita. "Oh…hi Alessandra."

"Hey, Rotom," Alessandra greeted, albeit a little coolly. "To the quarters, please."

Rotom nodded and sank back into the walls.

The elevator jerked and started its upward climb. Other than the rumble of the machinery, there was silence.

"So… um… Alessandra, was it?" Tide broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have some sort of job here?"

The Chikorita nodded. "I'm a guide; I show Pokemon around. Well, those who want to be shown…" She trailed off, and Tide wondered if she was thinking about the Pokemon down in the entrance hall - the ones who were going crazy.

The rest of the elevator ride was spent in silence. Ranta shuffled her paws absently, and Tide fiddled with his hands behind his back. The whole time, Alessandra's eyes flitted around the elevator, and her body was slightly tense.

"We're here!" Rotom called, and the elevator jerked to a stop.

Alessandra opened the door and led the way into the next room. Hurriedly, she closed the door behind them and visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm nervous around Ghosts. My brother was killed by a Haunter," she added, glaring at the floor.

Tide tipped his head to the side. "I thought Pokemon were supposed to be friendly and stuff now that time is restored."

The Chikorita let out a laugh that seemed a little ominous. "I may not remember the age of the Darkness, but what you said doesn't mean that Pokemon are good everywhere. It doesn't just take time going out of whack to cause Pokemon to be evil."

She padded over to the other end of the small circular room to where a doorway led to a set of circular stairs. "Your room is a couple flights up," she said as she started the climb.

Tide hurried after her, Ranta just behind him.

"Why do we have to go up _stairs_?" Ranta asked, obviously annoyed at having to climb to get to the place she was supposed to rest at.

"Just a precaution," Alessandra explained. "These are the quarters for the 'higher-ups' here, like Saif and his mate and such, so we don't want anyone else coming up. Unless they pay for a room, that is."

"A price? I thought this place was for all Pokemon." Tide stopped for a moment on a stair to catch his breath.

Alessandra stopped and looked over her shoulder at the Piplup. "These are the nicer rooms. And besides, how do you expect we pay for food? And the elevators, too. Not to mention electricity and heating. And air conditioning. And clean water for Water Pokemon, and-"

"I get it," Tide interrupted, continuing the climb.

They passed a doorway that led down a short hall, and continued upward until they came to another doorway. They passed through the opening and walked down the hallway, until they came to a room with the number 17 inscribed in it. Alessandra turned the handle with her head leaf and ushered Tide and Ranta inside.

The room was large and spacious. Two beds - made of comfortable cotton mattresses and covered with deep-red Pidgey-down quilts - were pushed up against one wall. In the farthest corner beside the left bed was a deep-looking pool of water, while in the opposite corner near the other bed was a bed of live coals strewn inside a large steel oven-like contraption. Like every other room, the walls were wooden, but painted a deep Oran-Berry-Blue, while the floor was inlaid with warmed stone. A wooden desk sat between the two beds, and some sort of small electric machine sat on it. A single window overlooked the ever-changing scenery of the darkening Apple Woods, and beyond the trees, the flat moorland that surrounded it, and the distant, hazy mountains that lay beyond that.

"If you need anything, just pick up the receiver of the telephone-" Alessandra pointed with her leaf to the machine that lay on the desk "- and it'll connect you to the operator. Just tell her what you need, and someone will be up shortly after. I'll be back to get you at half and hour to midnight."

With that, the Chikorita walked backward out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Amarante yawned and padded over to the bed closer to the oven and curled up on it, closing her eyes but facing the heat. Soon her breathing became rhythmic as she fell asleep.

Tide, on the other hand, wasn't all that sleepy. He padded over to the pool of water and waded in. The pool was cool and pleasant, but also rather deep - seven feet, to be exact. Tide dived down into the water and swam down to the bottom, touching it with his hand. He turned over in the water so that his back was to the stone floor and he was facing the surface.

It was completely silent. Light filtered down from above, and flickered with the tiny waves that Tide had created. For the first time that day, Tide felt peaceful. There was no stress; just water. There was no one talking to him; just water. There was no new and life-threatening information; just water.

The water cradled him like a child. For the first time in what felt like forever, silence wasn't making him think about her. She wasn't in his mind as the water lulled him into sleep.

---

_But she was there._

_Tide floated in the water. It wasn't the pool - it was much, much bigger. In fact, it seemed endless in every direction._

_Stone-colored Water Pokemon drifted around him. Their faces were frozen; some in snarls, others in joy, and some in boredom. Not only were their faces frozen, but their bodies were as well - they drifted with the currents, swirling endlessly in the watery abyss._

_It occurred to Tide that this was what Grovyle and Celebi had told him about; these Pokemon were Frozen in time._

_Tide swarm around a particularly large and ugly-faced Magikarp, and came beak-first into another stone-hard Pokemon._

_The Pokemon he bumped into started to drift away from him. A sudden shaft of watery light from above illuminated the snarling face of the Pokemon, as if it had been Frozen just when it was about to fight._

_It was her._

_She was in the water._

_She was going to drown! She was going to die!_

_**Olivia!**__ Tide's beak didn't move, but he heard his thoughts project through the water, echoing off the Frozen Pokemon. He sped after her, and grasped her arm. He swam upward - or at least, in the direction he thought was up._

_**Your tail!**__ he exclaimed._

_The Charmander's tail held no flame, not even a Frozen one, if that was possible._

_**D-don't worry,**__ Tide - somehow - stammered mentally. __**I'll get you to the surface. I'll light your tail. Don't worry.**_

_He continued to pull her upward. But with each passing second, her body grew heavier. Tide glanced down, and gasped._

_**Dusknoir!**_

_The Gripper Pokemon had grabbed a hold of Olivia's other arm, tugging in the opposite direction. An evil Dusknoir-equivalent of a smirk was on his face._

_Tide grasped Olivia with both hands. __**Grovyle said you were good now!**_

_**Did he, now?**__ Dusknoir's voice was deep, cold, and seemed to make Tide's feathers curl.__** If I am the good guy, how do I know that you aren't trying to destroy her?**_

_**You idiot! You LIAR! **__Tide screeched, his rage starting to take over. __**Let go!**_

_Dusknoir's grip didn't loosen. __**How do you know this is even her?**_

_**What--**_

_The Gripper Pokemon jerked downward on Olivia, bringing Tide along with her. Dusknoir brought his hand barreling forward into Tide's face…_

_---_

Tide exploded awake, the force of his head rocketing up so fast sending him spinning through the water. He gulped in water - the equivalent of breathing in air - and tried hard to calm his heart.

_What… dream? I don't… remember…_

Tide's mind drew a blank at trying to recollect his dream. It took him a few moments to stop his heart from beating so fast. He let out a sigh.

Light flickered in the water, and for the first time ever, Tide was afraid of his element. The shadows of the water seemed to harbor something sinister, and the filtered light felt unreliable.

Hurriedly, he swam to the surface and crawled out of the water. He shook the water out of his feathers and glanced out the window at the dark sky. By the angle of the moon, he guessed it to be almost eleven. He shivered, and climbed onto his bed to wait out the next half hour in silence.

---

A knock at the door brought Tide to attention. He shook off the feeling of fear and uncertainty that had been shrouding him and jumped off his bed. He gently shook Ranta awake.

"C'mon, it's time to go."

The Vulpix blinked sleepily at him, but complied all the same and climbed out of bed.

Tide opened the door to find Alessandra standing outside.

"Hey," the Chikorita greeted. "It's time to go see the others off."

She led the way down the hall, and down the stairs to the elevator. When they entered the elevator, Alessandra visibly tensed again.

"Which floor?" Rotom asked.

"Basement level one," Alessandra supplied, becoming silent.

The elevator ride wasn't as long as it was the last time - Tide suspected that the meeting room was somewhere below the first basement level. Wherever the first basement level led to.

When the elevator stopped, Alessandra opened the door, revealing a plain, large circular room, with circular windows lining the upper half of the walls, revealing the world outside at ground level. Luminous Orbs must have hung outside, for light illuminated the immediate area outside. It was not unlike the main room where visiting Pokemon massed. Only this one was filled with the journeying Pokemon, and was much less crowded - not to mention less crazed.

"There's Grovyle," Alessandra directed, pointing with her nose.

She led the way through the groups of Pokemon to where Grovyle stood, conversing in a low tone to Celebi. When he spotted them out of the corner of his eye, he broke off whatever he was saying and turned to them.

"So, you didn't sleep the entire night," Grovyle joked.

The joke didn't receive any laughs, and a muscle in Grovyle's neck tensed slightly. "Well," he said, "once Saif gets here, we'll call order."

"He'll be here soon enough."

Tide turned to see Conteur the Glaceon standing behind him. The Ice-Type's eyes were vaguely glazed with exhaustion.

"If I know Saif, he's in the elevator right now," he said with absolute certainty.

"You look tired," Celebi commented. "Is everything all right?"

Conteur laughed. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just telling some children up in the nursery some tales." He glanced down at Amarante with a smile. "Children are cute, but quite a handful. Many years ago, when I lived with my Glaceon tribe, I spent most of my time with the mothers and their young. It was quite entertaining."

Celebi suddenly snapped to attention. "Oh, they're here!"

"They?" Tide asked confusedly, looking around the room.

Tide's question went unnoticed. Grovyle nodded to Conteur and Celebi before leading them through the crowd. He paused, then looked back over his shoulder. "Alessandra, make sure these two don't get lost."

The Chikorita nodded as the trio disappeared into the crowd. She turned her head to Tide and Ranta. "Follow me, quick!"

She led the way back through the crowd to the elevator. Just when they got there, they opened to reveal Saif and a Pokemon of a species that Tide had seen before, up in the main room. The Pokemon was a graceful female with a red horn in her chest and had shiny, clean green hair. She was youthful, but her eyes held strength in them, as if she had gone through many trials, and was still ready to face more.

"Oh, hi Alessandra. Tide, Ranta," Saif greeted.

"Grovyle and the others are about to start," Alessandra quickly informed the Gallade.

"I'm just in time." He turned to the Pokemon accompanying him. "You stay with these three?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"Sure," the Pokemon replied as Saif hurried away through the crowd. She turned her attention to Tide and Amarante. "And you are?"

"I'm Tide, and this is Amarante," Tide supplied.

"You can call me Ranta if you want to," the little fox added.

"What Pokemon are you?" Tide blurted, his curiosity taking over him.

The Pokemon let out a laugh. "My name is Seul. I am a Gardevoir."

"Are you Saif's mate?" Ranta asked, thoroughly curious.

Seul seemed slightly startled by how bluntly the fox had asked the question. "Y-yes, I am."

Ranta swung her head toward Tide. "What exactly is a 'mate'?"

"Wha-" Tide was saved from having to answer the question when a soothing ringing sounded through the room.

"May we have your attention?" Celebi called out once the room became quiet. She, Grovyle, Conteur, and Saif were standing on a wooden platform at the other end of the room, looking out over the audience.

Saif stepped forward. "We'll leave just after midnight, which is in a few minutes. I must stress how important this mission is - any delay could have horrible effects. This job _must_ be taken seriously, to the utmost importance. If you feel that you can't stand up to this, by all means, back away now. No Pokemon will judge you."

No Pokemon in the room moved or made sound.

Saif paused for a moment longer before continuing. "All right, I see everyone is in agreement upon going. Remember, Celebi's word is law on this mission. And, right now, if you feel any pressure in the general region of yourself, _move to another spot as quickly as possible_, or you'll be pierced by one of the victims of the Freeze_._ Understood?"

The Pokemon in the room nodded. A Sneasel stood taller, and shouted: "We'll succeed!"

More Pokemon joined in the cheer, until Tide had to cover his ears from the boisterousness.

"Well then," Saif added to the din, "after midnight, the mission will begin!"

As the minutes ticked by, the noise eventually died down to a lower level of volume between groups.

"Have you two seen a Freeze?" Seul asked. "I believe Saif said that you two were from the past…?"

Ranta shook her head. "We haven't seen it."

"You can see if you look out the window." Seul tensed, and suddenly, Tide, Ranta, and Alessandra were lifted from the ground and were moved closer to the windows.

"Whoa!" Tide exclaimed, obviously unused to levitating in the air. He couldn't even right himself - Seul was in complete control.

"It'll be midnight in… thirty seconds," Seul told them. "Don't blink, or you'll miss that one second…"

Tide stared hard out the window. Five seconds in and his eyes were burning. Ten seconds and they stung like crazy. At fifteen he blinked. He managed to keep his eyes open when midnight came.

In a split second, the entire world was white. It was a blank, empty whiteness in which nothing existed. In the next moment, the whiteness was gone. In its place was the landscape of Apple Wood's clearing, but littered with stone-colored, stiff Pokemon. Most seemed to be sleeping, although the nocturnal creatures were Frozen in the middle of doing something or another, like foraging for food, as one Paras seemed to be doing.

Tide stared in shock as a Pidgeotto suddenly plummeted from the sky, its wing embedding into the ground.

Ranta let out a cry. "W-why is this happening?!"

Seul shook her head and gently lowered the trio to the ground. "We don't know."

The Gardevoir lessened her Psychic hold and lowered the trio gently to the ground. "From what we can figure, the laws of space accommadate for the sudden appearance of the Frozen Pokemon. We're unsure of whether the Freeze is caused by time or space; perhaps even both. But the legend of the Seventeen Humans is our only hope at the time if we want to survive."

"Attention, please," Celebi called.

Tide turned back toward the wooden platform.

"It is now that we will begin our journey," Celebi announced. She closed her eyes in concentration, and suddenly a section of the wall shrunk down into the floor, leaving a gap into the night.

With a cheer, the Pokemon rushed out into the night, Celebi hurrying after them.

* * *

_Alessandra the Chikorita was created by Legendary Fairy_

**Yes, I used someone's OC, but that doesn't mean I'm accepting them at the moment, regardless of what I wrote in previous author notes. I'm a little busy right now, it's the last week before Christmas break, so I'm trying to get stuff done.**

**See you all soon, don't forget to review!**


	12. Lune

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, Pokemon is not mine, I only own my own characters, not their respective Pokemon species.**

**2,552 words. Happy Holidays, everyone! I've been busy for the past few days, playing _The World Ends With You_. It's a great game, but the battles are pretty tough. I love Chrsitmas. Anyways, enough with my babbling, here's the story for ya. :)**

* * *

**Eleven: Lune**

The sudden emptiness seemed to grasp Grovyle's lungs for a heartbeat as he watched the wall reform.

_Good luck, Celebi…_ _I hope you don't need it. And get back soon._

Conteur nudged his arm suddenly, and pointed with his nose to where Seul stood with Tide, Amarante, and Alessandra.

"Don't dwell on it," the Ice Type whispered. "It's midnight; those three should be asleep for the day ahead."

Grovyle nodded, thankful for the advice. He jumped off the raised platform and headed over to the other Pokemon, Conteur and Saif following behind.

"It's time you all went to sleep," Grovyle said as he approached the trio-plus-Seul.

"What? Me? I'm not tired!" Alessandra exclaimed. She stood a little taller and shifted her feet to get to optimum height, but stumbled a little. She blushed and raised her shoulders, as if to try to hide her face.

Ranta yawned. "I'm tired," the little fox mumbled. Although her tone showed exhaustion, her eyes were still slightly wide with the shock of seeing the Frozen Pokemon - she was obviously trying to be optimistic about the whole ordeal.

Grovyle noticed that Tide stayed silent. He felt a pang of concern at the look on the Piplup's face, but he said nothing.

"You should all get some sleep," Conteur advised, also noticing the quiet, thoughtful look on Tide's face. "Tomorrow, you're all going to be training."

Alessandra brightened. "Really?"

"Yep," Saif answered, already starting for the elevator. "We _all _need to be prepared in case anything happens."

Alessandra hurried after Saif, and the rest of the group followed. Seul herded Tide along; the Piplup seemed not to have noticed everyone start to leave.

As the Rotom brought them up, Grovyle keep stealing glances at Tide.

_What's on your mind? You're not the same as you were last time…_ Grovyle made a fist with his hand at his side. _I want to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong… I'll have to ask you later. But not tonight; it's too late._

----------

The sun was just starting to peek into Tide's and Ranta's room when a knock at the door woke the both of them up.

"Coming!" Ranta called, standing up to shake her fur before jumping off her bed and heading for the door.

Tide stretched each of his limbs. He hadn't dreamt last night, and he was thankful for that. He hopped off his bed and splashed a bit of water from the pool onto his face.

For a moment he stared at his reflection, deep in thought. Last night, an idea had begun occurring to him. It wasn't being straightforward to him, however; no real worded thoughts were echoing in Tide's mind, only an urge to stop and think about a nagging unknown…

He shook his head and straightened up just as Ranta opened the door, revealing Alessandra.

"C'mon," the Chikorita called, "it's time to go training!"

_Training…?_ Tide wondered. Then his mind suddenly clicked. _Right… Conteur told us we were training today. But where, exactly?_

"Hurry up, Tide," Alessandra commanded, irritated. "We don't have all day to get to the training room."

"I'm coming," Tide sighed, hurrying toward the door.

----------

It didn't take long to get to the training room. Apparently, there were two training rooms; one for those who donated to the BPP, and another for those who did not or could not. So the trio was able to take the elevator to the private training room, meaning that they didn't have to cut through the main room on the ground floor and wade through the mob of Pokemon down there.

The training room took up an entire floor of the Base. The circular room had a sparring area, lanes for target practice, a weight-lifting area, and some contraption that resembled an obstacle course. The wall beside the sparring area was lined with various weapons, such as Silver Spikes and Gravelrocks. A table beside the target practice lanes likewise held the same items as aforementioned, and also included less dangerous items like sticks and Gravelrock-sized beanbags. Pokemon of many different species were either training or talking to each other.

Currently, Saif was sparring with a bipedal dog-like Pokemon that Tide recognized as a Lucario. The Lucario made to punch at Saif, but the Gallade feinted and ducked under the Lucario's arm and attacked it from behind with his elbow blade, square in the back. The Lucario quickly turned and kicked at Saif's legs, causing the Gallade to lose balance.

As Saif went down, the Lucario brought its knee up and hit the Blade Pokemon in the face. Saif grunted in pain but nonetheless retaliated by grabbing the Lucario's leg and pulling it down to the floor. Saif brought his elbow blade to its full length and brought it down against the Lucario's neck.

For a moment, both Pokemon were still, each breathing heavily. Suddenly, Saif retracted his elbow blades and stood, holding out his hand for the Aura Pokemon. Grunting, the Lucario accepted the help and rose to its feet, muttering something too low for Tide to hear.

Saif laughed, blood dripping from his nostrils at the base of his 'head-horn'. "You did well, too!"

"He is a strong fighter." Suddenly, Conteur was beside Tide, who jumped in surprise.

Conteur laughed. "Oh, don't look so frightened. You didn't see me because you were too busy watching the fight. I was on the obstacle course; it's very challenging for beginners, but just because I'm starting to grow old doesn't mean that I don't have any agility left."

"_Starting to grow old?_" Saif walked over, nibbling on an Oran Berry. "You were old when I first met you, when I was a Kirlia. That was forever ago."

The Lucario he had been battling was walking behind him, arms crossed. "So you admit that you are old too, Saif?" it joked, its voice revealing it to be female.

"I'm not old!" Saif exclaimed. The Lucario just laughed.

Conteur laughed as well. "Well, let's not stand here and talk all day, all right? These three need to begin their training. Oh, and I don't believe that they've met Caden yet."

The Lucario waved her paw. "Pleased to meet you. You must be Tide and Amarante, correct?"

"You can call me Ranta if you want," the little fox said, her eyes wide in awe. "You're a good fighter…"

Caden smiled. "Thank you, but you didn't even see half of the fight. I _was_ winning there, for a while."

Saif huffed. "Yeah, right."

Alessandra tapped her foot impatiently. "Can we train, _please_?"

"Of course," Saif answered.

"I call the obstacle course!" Alessandra cried, running toward it.

"I'll go with her," Caden offered, walking after the Chikorita.

Ranta looked around confusedly. "Where's Grovyle?"

"A Raticate got cocky while lifting weights. Grovyle took it to the infirmary after it broke its foot," Saif supplied. "Anyways, what do you want to do first? I'd suggest that you both do some target practice until Grovyle gets back. He's better at figuring out what a Pokemon needs to train for much better than I do."

"I'll teach you how to throw, Ranta, since neither of us have opposable thumbs," Conteur offered, leading the fox toward two open spots on the other side of the target practice area.

Saif rubbed his nose at the base of his head-horn. "Eh, I better go clean up this blood… I'll be right back, Tide," he said as he hurried away.

Suddenly left alone, Tide hesitated before approaching an empty lane of the target practice area, near the end. On his left, a burly purple Pokemon with a horn on its head - a Nidoking - was busy throwing sticks at his hay target. His throws had much power behind them, but the sticks never hit the center of the target.

On Tide's right, at the end of the line, a slender black Pokemon with gold rings stood with an Iron Thorn in her mouth. Her eyes studied the hay target coldly, until suddenly she jerked her head to the left then back, releasing the Iron Thorn. The weapon spun in the air, but it sailed straight forward until it hit the exact center of the target, its point embedded in the hay.

Tide stared in shock and awe at the deadly precision, his mouth agape.

The Pokemon turned to him. "I'll take your expression as a compliment," she stated coolly. Her voice was quiet, but strong.

"I-I'm sorry for staring," Tide apologized.

The Pokemon suddenly smiled. "No big deal. My name is Lune, I'm an Umbreon."

"I'm Tide, a Piplup," Tide supplied.

Lune nodded. "I've heard about you; my tribe leader was at the meeting yesterday. Anyways, aren't you going to at least _try_ to throw something at your target?"

Tide jumped. "Oh yeah," he said, picking up a stick from the table behind him. He held it by its thicker end, aimed carefully, and threw with all his might. The stick arched threw the air, but fell short of the target.

"Eh…" Tide stuttered nervously, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

Lune chuckled. "No, I'm sorry, but you have no real power behind your throws. You need to rely more on momentum than your… lack of muscularity." She picked up a stick, and took her stance. She leaned her neck back to the side, then whipped forward, letting the stick fly through the air and hit the target.

"So I have to… twirl, or something?" Tide asked.

Lune shrugged. "Not necessarily, I think. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. But I have to get going. I hope to meet you again, Tide," the Umbreon said, dipping her head before padding away toward the elevator.

Tide picked up another stick and looked at it. On a whim, he spun on his heel (nearly falling over) and threw the sick. It sailed straight and far, and hit the target near to the outer rim, lightly bouncing off the target.

_Well… it was better than before,_ Tide reasoned with himself.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped. He turned to see Grovyle standing behind him.

"You okay, Tide?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tide gave an embarrassed smile, "you just startled me, that's all."

For a heartbeat, Tide saw uncertainty in the Wood Gecko's eyes, but it was quickly replaced with amusement, so that Tide wondered if his own eyes were playing tricks on him.

Grovyle ran his eyes over Tide. "I suppose that we should work on your speed and stamina. Because you have such short legs, your speed won't increase much on land, but at least you'll have some sort of speed."

"Hey!" Tide cried, indignant. "I'm plenty fast!"

"You weren't very fast when we were running from the Sableye," Grovyle pointed out.

"…That was a year ago."

"Hmph." Grovyle crossed his arms. "To make up for your lack of speed and attack power, you'll need more defense capabilities and stamina to withstand attacks. Today, we'll work up your speed and stamina in the obstacle course."

----------

The obstacle course consisted of a crawling area, followed by a climbing wall, and finished up with a zigzag course between course markers.

It was just about the most physically exhausting thing that Tide had ever done.

While it really wasn't too long of a course, it took Tide seven minutes to crawl under the brambles and thorns, fifteen to creep across the climbing wall, and another five to run through the zigzag course (the turns were so sharp that Tide slipped half of the time).

Though Grovyle showed sympathy to Tide, he was ruthless in the training. He would have the Piplup do the course twice in a row, rest for three minutes, and then have him tackle the course again. By the fifth run-through, Tide's legs felt like they were on fire, and his arms weren't that much better off. _Hell, _he decided, _I hurt all over!_

"Three minute break!" Grovyle called as Tide collapsed on the ground.

Tide lifted his head weakly from the ground and watched as Ranta threw sticks at her target, Conteur offering advice from time to time. He was surprised; while the Fox Pokemon didn't have a lot of strength behind her throws (she threw with her mouth, like Lune did), the stick always seemed to hit near the center of the target.

_Lucky fox,_ Tide thought as Grovyle called for him to get up again. _She doesn't have to run this course… And if she does, she has four legs to begin with!_

----------

"That's enough," Grovyle called as Tide completed the course for the twelfth time.

As the Wood Gecko waited for Tide to stand back up, he noticed that the Piplup's feathers were drenched in sweat. _Damn… I forgot that Piplup's aren't used to the climate here. I'll take him to the pool to get cleaned up._

Grovyle exchanged a quick word with Caden, telling her that Alessandra was to lead Amarante back to her and Tide's room once they were finished, and that he'd meet up with them later.

Tide, although visibly perked at the offer of going to the pool, walked slowly and stiffly, as if he had pulled a muscle or two when he was training.

The elevator ride to the pool was a short one, as it was only a few levels below the training room. Once again, Grovyle silently marveled at the expertise at which Celebi had carved out the great tree's innards. The tree was over a thousand feet tall, and yet not a single space was wasted, and stones lined the bottom of the pools of water so that the water would not rot the tree. _It's like Celebi was born to decorate…_

The pool was circular, and varied in depth at certain spots. Immediately, Tide dived in, swimming at alarming speeds around the otherwise empty pool.

_I wonder why it's so empty,_ Grovyle wondered as he dipped his feet in the water as he sat on the edge of the pool. He wasn't too concerned, though; if there were Pokemon in the pool, they were usually here at night. And, only Water Pokemon usually were in the pool, and to get to the pool, you either had to be able to breathe air, or be able to hold your breath for a _really_ long time.

Tide's face popped up out of the water. For the first time since Tide came to the future, Grovyle saw that he was truly happy. But after a moment, Tide's face became quiet and thoughtful, almost uncertain.

"You okay, Tide?" Grovyle asked.

Tide broke out of his trance. "You asked me that before, Grovyle. I told you, I'm fine."

"...I miss her, too," Grovyle whispered. But Tide had already ducked back under the water, and the words were left unheard.

* * *

**Now we're starting to ease into Grovyle's point of view. I've always wanted to go into Grovyle's point of view like this; while he's such a good character, I can tell he has his own secrets. He had like, a million pauses in the game where he could have said something, but didn't. That's what I love about him in the game, he's so self sacrificial and willing to help others.**

**You've already read, so now you can review. ;)**


	13. Possibility

**DISCLAIMER: Pokemon is not mine. It never has been.**

**All right, sorry I haven't updated recently, but well... I've been lazy. Sorry 'bout that. It's one of those things I can't stop being. Oh well, I'll cut to the chase. I thought I'd make it up to you by having this chapter be as long as possible. :)**

**(And yes, I twisted the vague info we have of footprint runes. You'll see what I mean.)**

**Twelve: Possibility**

Tide scratched the back of his head sleepily as Alessandra led them down the stairs to the elevator.

"Where are we going today?" he yawned. He had had some sort of dream again last night, but the memory of it had slipped from his mind.

"Grovyle doesn't want us to train our bodies every day, so today, he's training our minds in the library," Alessandra answered as they traversed the main room of the higher-ups' quarters to the elevator.

"To the library," the Chikorita told the Rotom crisply.

The elevator ride was silent, but Tide didn't mind. He wasn't paying attention, anyways. The unknown thought was still nagging at him, as if he should know something important. _What is it?_ he asked his mind in a silent scream. _What do I need to know?_

The Piplup was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he didn't notice Ranta watching him, her eyes narrowed in concern.

----------

Like the training room, the library took up a whole floor, but the walls were straight, not curved. Though there was no space wasted; each shelf on the outer wall was fitted perfectly into an indent in the wall. Every few shelves or so there would be a window as tall as the wall to let in sunlight, and Luminous Orbs hung down from the ceiling at different lengths for when it was dark. Shelves also were set around the room, but they didn't reach to the ceiling, only going about halfway up the height of the room. Tables and comfortable chairs were situated both around the windows and in dark corners.

But none of this compared to the majestic painting _on the ceiling._ A massive white Pokemon with green eyes and a golden ring around its middle stood with its head raised to an unknown source of light. A mysterious aura seemed to surround the golden ring, and the paint strokes suggested some sort of transparent objects in various spots on the painting.

"That is Arceus."

Tide tore his eyes from the painting to see Conteur approaching them from around a bookshelf. The Glaceon's appearance was as calm as ever, and his eyes were raised to the painting.

"An old friend of mine painted that before she died. She also donated most of the books, as did I." The Ice Type turned and beckoned with his tail for the three to follow him as he continued. "I think you'll be surprised to hear that my friend was not a Smeargle. She was, actually, an Arbok. She painted with her tail, though it apparently was a pain for her to get up there. She worked day and night; she only finished it about two months ago. The night she finished it, she died in her sleep."

Tide suddenly felt awkward as he followed Conteur to the center of the room. What was the point of this conversation, anyways? And why was it necessary to talk about death? _Maybe it's just the storyteller in him…_

"She was the one who told me about the legend of the Sacred Seventeen," Conteur added. "She was a firm believer in it, and it was her mission to tell others about it. That's what the painting is about - apparently, the hazy paint strokes are where the treasures for the Seventeen are supposed to appear."

The trio following him was silent; they might have pestered him with questions, but the atmosphere of the library soothed their minds enough to keep them quiet.

Grovyle was waiting for them in the middle of the library, at a small table with five textbooks on it. The titles were written in a language that Tide couldn't read.

Alessandra groaned. "Unown runes? I've already learned how to read these."

"These two haven't," Grovyle said, pointing to Tide and Amarante. "And brushing up on it wouldn't be bad. We have to be prepared for anything. Hurry up and sit, already."

Tide sat in the cushioned chair next to Amarante and picked up one of the books. "What does the title say?" he asked, peeking closer at the cover as if the words would magically turn into footprint runes.

"'The Language of the Unown,'" Conteur translated, pulling one of the books toward him with his paw. "It's the direct translation of footprint runes to Unown runes. Our ancestors made a simple choice when they switched from Unown to footprint: that footprint runes would have the same number of symbols, and sound the same. Basically, all you must do is memorize which Unown rune makes which sound, and you're set. But it's never quite that simple. Unown runes are very unlike footprint runes and are easy to mix up."

"You're telling me," Alessandra muttered.

The others ignored her and Tide opened his book to the first page. It was a basic introductory page, with reasons why you should read the book and whatnot.

"It starts on page seven," Grovyle said, his book already open.

Tide grumbled something about being able to find it himself and flipped to page seven. He noticed Ranta struggling with the papers and he turned the pages for her before turning back to his own book.

A large Unown symbol covered one-fourth of the page, while its footprint rune equivalent was next to it. Below it was text in both footprint and Unown, explaining about the Unown letter and other trivial facts.

"This is the Unown letter _a_," Grovyle said. "Like in apple. Try writing it down."

For the first time, Tide noticed several scraps of paper on the table, as well as some pencils. Nearly rolling his eyes, he got Ranta and himself some paper and a pencil each, then set to copying down.

It was much harder than he'd thought it would be. The Unown runes were excessively intricate, and they confused him greatly, oftentimes making him erase his lines. But whatever difficulty he had, it was most likely nothing compared to Ranta; she had to write with the pencil sticking out of her mouth. But, when he looked over at her paper, he saw that she was taking her time in drawing out each rune, and while her lines were a little shaky, she didn't mess up her lines too often.

The Unown lesson didn't stop until they had even learned the punctuation marks. It lasted for hours. By the time it was over, Tide's head was hurting. When he closed his eyes, he could see the little runes dancing in the darkness, taunting his headache.

Grovyle stood. "I suppose you should go back to your rooms. Alessandra?" he asked.

The Chikorita sighed and stood, obviously in a bad mood because of the long lesson. "Right away. C'mon guys."

As she led them away, Tide glanced up again at the ceiling. It was simply beautiful. Every time you saw it, the painting would stun you. Every detail was so… wonderful. The hazy images that surrounded the godly figure were mysterious and intriguing. Tide couldn't help feeling disappointed as the elevator door closed.

----------

Tide floated in the water back in his room. He was somewhat tired, but he didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep.

He dived under the water silently and swam around the bowl-shaped pool quickly in circles. Light from the window above filtered into the pool, providing light.

It was rather calming to swim like this. When he was in the water, he was alone. No one was there to bother him.

No one but himself.

He stopped swimming and simply floated in the water, letting the current he had stirred up move him. A sudden itch at his neck caused him to scratch at it. He paused when he felt something under his scarf. He pulled the something out, realizing that it was the tear-shaped gem he had found in Beach Cave. He didn't know how it had managed to stay in the folds of his scarf, but it did.

He stared at it. The tiny cracks in it were mesmerizing. He slowly turned in around in his flippers and observed the different angles that the lines took. Suddenly, he stiffened.

The cracks… looked like runes. Unown runes.

He squinted, trying to remember the letters he had copied down earlier and matching them to the lines he saw. _W…A…Z - wait, no, that's an N - …D…A…_

Wanda? Was that a name? It certainly had to be something. Tide blinked several times, but the letters stayed. It couldn't be a figment of his imagination. The gem really did say _Wanda_.

He was about to continue turning the gem to look for more words when the light faded. Irritated, tide returned to the surface to see clouds covering the moon. Climbing out of the pool, he considered turning on the Luminous Orb, but opted not to when he saw Ranta sleeping peacefully in her bed. He noticed light coming in from under the door that led to the hall. Quietly, he shook the excess water off himself and hurried out into the hall.

Just as he entered the hall, a figure appeared from the stairwell.

"Tide?" Lune asked incredulously, padding to him. The Umbreon twitched her ears in surprise. "I didn't know you were on this floor."

Tide nodded. "Me and Amarante share this room."

Lune let out a grunt of acknowledgement before noticing the gem in Tide's hands. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's something I found in a dungeon," Tide said, holding the gem up. "I noticed that the cracks looked like Unown runes, so I came out here for some light so I wouldn't disturb Ranta."

Lune peered at the tear-shaped treasure. "It looks interesting." She looked up at Tide with her eyes. "You said they looked like Unown runes?"

"Yeah."

Her expression grew serious, yet excited. "Tide, this is excellent!"

The Piplup blinked. "What?"

The Umbreon straightened up. "I'm a healer of my tribe; a shaman of sorts. Using items holy to my tribe, I can communicate with the spirits of the departed and learn from them."

Tide didn't get to what she was going to. "What are you talking about?"

"Tide," Lune said, her voice lowering to an urgent whisper. "Using this, I could be able to find Olivia for you!"

It felt like Tide's heart was stuck in his throat. "B-but she disappeared. She might be dead; she c-could be worse. She might not exist at all."

"But Grovyle and Celebi are here!" Lune argued. "How are they here and not her? And, if we can't find her using this, it would mean she's alive! My tribe leader told me all about you, Tide," she continued. "Olivia's not here. Grovyle and Celebi are. I can find her for you!"

Tide's mind was racing with thoughts of his friend. He could find her. He could finally find her. He could finally see her…

"How do we do this?" he asked, eager.

Lune peered at the gem. "It'll be hard. This isn't a holy item. And I'm not trying to find someone from my tribe." She looked back up. "We'll have to go so an old praying ground of my ancestors near Craggy Coast. That's where my powers will be strongest in trying to find a spirit not in my tribe."

"I don't care how far we have to go," Tide declared. _I'll find her. I'll get her back. Olivia…_

Lune nodded. "I'll have to ask my leader, but I'm sure we can leave as soon as you want. But you're probably going to have to go and ask Grovyle and Saif."

Tide's mood dropped a little at the thought of having to ask permission, but the thought of a Charmander strengthened his resolve. "Do you know where Grovyle's room is?" he asked.

Lune shook her head. "No, but I'm sure if you call the operator, they'll be able to tell you what room he's in."

Tide nodded and turned back to his room, but stopped. "Are you going to go ask your leader now?"

Lune nodded. "You go ask and get ready. I'll get ready as well, and I'll meet you down in front of the elevator."

"Okay." Tide hurried into his room to the telephone, putting the gem back in the folds of his scarf. The machine felt awkward in his hands, but he ignored the feeling.

"_How may I help you?_" came a female voice through the receiver.

"Can I get Grovyle's room number and floor, please?" he asked, tapping his hand against the desk.

"_One moment_," the voice said. "_… Room number twenty-seven, third floor. Anything el--_"

Tide didn't hear the rest as he hurried hung up the phone, fumbling with the receiver as he did so. Hurriedly, he grabbed his Treasure Bag from the corner of the room, checking to make sure there were supplies in it.

He hurried passed Ranta's bed, then stopped. Should he wake her up? She deserved to know where he was going, but she was obviously going to try to tag along. In the end, he hurried out into the hall without waking her, deciding that she would just be a nuisance.

Tide hurried up the stairs to the next floor and raced down the hall. When he got to the room labeled '27,' he took a breath and knocked on the door, only just realizing that it was rather late.

After a moment, the door opened, and a tired-looking Grovyle was standing there.

"Tide?" he asked, obviously surprised to see him. He stood back to allow the Piplup to come in.

Grovyle's room was much like his, though the walls were leaf-green. There were two beds (one for the absent Celebi), a small pool in the corner, but not much else.

Grovyle closed the door. "What is it, Tide?" he asked, concerned.

Tide took a breath. "I think I might be able to find Olivia."

Grovyle blinked. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tide continued talking.

"I met an Umbreon who said she could help me. She's like a shaman to her tribe; she can talk to the dead. She said that she could take me to one of her tribe's praying grounds and be able to find Olivia. If she's not dead, she's alive. Grovyle, she could be alive!!"

Grovyle stared at Tide. The Piplup's eyes were alight and determined - the most alive Grovyle had seen them in a long time. He was completely convinced that he could find Olivia. That she was alive.

But the Piplup's eyes also held a crazed light. An obsessive light.

Grovyle frowned sadly. "You can't go, Tide."

Tide seemed not to hear him. "Just think, Grovyle! I'll be able to see her. I'll bring her back here! She'll be alive! She IS alive! She'll be back!"

Grovyle grabbed Tide's arms. "Tide! …You can't go."

Tide blinked incredulously. "What?"

Grovyle shook his head. The Piplup had officially snapped. He was so obsessed with finding her, that he couldn't accept the truth. That Olivia had gone.

"Tide, if she was still alive, she would have found you already," Grovyle said. "She's not coming back. She--"

"She can't be dead!" Tide yelled, pulling himself out of Grovyle's grip. "She's out there, Grovyle! She could be in trouble! I have to find her!"

"Tide," Grovyle began, but Tide kept talking.

"I _will_ find her, Grovyle! She's alive, I _know _it! I'm going to find her!"

Grovyle grabbed Tide's shoulders and leaned in close to the Water-Type's face. "Tide, get a hold of yourself. She…she's not coming back, no matter how much we want her too."

Tide's eyes narrowed in anger, and his voice and body shook with rage. "You don't miss her like I do! YOU just don't care about her like _I_ do!"

Suddenly, Grovyle's grip tightened, his talons pricking into Tide's skin, and he swung the Piplup around to hold him against the wall.

"Don't you _ever_ say that!" Grovyle threatened, his voice full of scorn and hurt. His eyes were narrowed in anger, and an unreadable emotion lingered in his eyes. "I've lost Olivia more times than you have. Don't think I don't want to see her, too!"

Tide didn't struggle against Grovyle, and instead looked him in the eyes. "You don't care about her! You don't want to find her! You _never_ cared about her, not like I did and still do!"

Grovyle pushed Tide into the wall with more force. His voice was hard. "I've lost her more times than you have," he repeated. "One, she's gone now; we share the loss of her. Two, when we came to your world of the past, I was separated from her! I wanted to look for her, but we both made a promise to carry out our mission, no matter the price!" Grovyle took a breath that bordered on shuddering, and his voice lost its edge. "…And when I finally found her…she wasn't her. Well… she was her, but she didn't know who I was."

Grovyle squeezed his eyes shut. "You don't know how much that hurts, Tide." Suddenly, he opened his eyes again, and his voice became harsh. "You don't know how much it hurt for me to be cast aside with you in my place!"

Tide started to struggle. "I don't care! I have to find her! _Let me go!_"

Grovyle threw Tide to the ground and opened the door. "Fine. You want to go? Go. I don't care. But you won't find her. She's gone, Tide. Sooner or later you're going to have to accept that."

Tide glared at him as got up, making his way out. In the doorway, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Grovyle. "I'll find her. But when I do, I'll make sure not to bring her back here." With that, the Piplup walked out into the hall in cold silence.

Grovyle slammed the door and stared at it, his arms shaking at his sides, his hands curled into fists. He suddenly punched the door without a word, and a resulting _crack_ sounded, a thin line running down the middle of the door.

----------

Lune's ears twitched as Tide hurried down the stairs and ran up to her. She looked at him expectantly.

Tide ignored her and pushed the button for the elevator, opening the door a moment later.

Unbeknownst to Tide, Lune smirked.


	14. Not as it Seems

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, I don't own Pokemon.**

**All I have to say is, yes, Amarante finally gets a "starring role!"**

**Thirteen: Not as it Seems**

"Tide?"

Amarante peered into the pool, flinching slightly as her muzzle touched the cool liquid. Hurriedly, she shook the moisture off. _Ouch…_

The little fox was extremely nervous. She had fallen asleep knowing that Tide was in his pool, but had woken up not seeing him at all. She didn't even know if he was swimming in the atrocious liquid called water that he loved for some strange reason.

She blinked. _Perhaps he's with Grovyle… But why wouldn't they bring me?_ Though she had known Grovyle for a short amount of time, she knew that she could trust him unconditionally, like she knew she could with Tide. They wouldn't leave her out of anything, she knew.

But she was still young and didn't know the complications of the universe, much less the complications of her own world. But, being young, this thought did not cross her mind.

She began to pace the room in agitation. Where was everyone? Why was she alone? Where was Tide?!

She was about to curl up in a nervous ball when there was a knock at the door. Sighing in relief, she hurried to the door and balanced on her hind paws to open the door. She cocked her head in confused disappointment when she saw Conteur standing there, the anxiety returning to her.

"Where's Tide?!" she asked, not realizing that this was the loudest she had spoken in her short life.

The Glaceon gazed sadly at her, a mixture of pity and something unknown in his eyes. He stepped inside the room and nosed the door closed before motioning for her to sit.

"What's going on?" she asked, her fear absolutely apparent in her voice.

The Ice-Type gazed at her for another moment. Instead of answering her question, he asked his own. "Little one, do you know of the concept of death?"

The fox tensed. Of course she knew. Every mortal creature knew, in her opinion, from the moment they existed, though the seriousness of the knowledge varied from being to being. To herself, she knew it was something quite somber, and that it meant not being able to see the person who death had happened to. In fact, she felt an extreme sudden pang of sadness and loneliness in her heart, something she had never felt before, but yet didn't feel unfamiliar. She didn't know why it was there, or how it came to be.

She nodded slowly, and Conteur continued. "Do not worry, little flower. Death has not come to Tide. But it came to a friend of his, a long time ago. He has never told you the story, has he?"

Relieved of the fact that her precious protector was okay, but yet still understandably uncertain, she nodded her head.

Conteur nodded, surprised. "I didn't quite expect that, but I suppose that Tide would have to talk to you about Olivia sooner or later. You see, there has been much arguing lately throughout the entire world that Olivia could have, in fact, survived, seeing as everyone else was saved by Arceus… or something else, if you have lack of belief. But, it has been a year in your's and Tide's time since then, and if she was still alive, there is probably no chance of her returning. But Tide… Tide has made it apparent that he cannot accept that."

Ranta blinked in confusion. Something inside her was stirring at these words, the words about this stranger. But the bigger question on her mind was, of course, on the Piplup. "Where is he?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Conteur sighed. "He's gone to look for her."

Ranta's world seemed to shift underneath her even though it took a moment for the words to sink in. Tide left? He was gone? For how long? Why didn't he take her with him?

Suddenly, Conteur leaned in closer to her face. "I do not mean to seem like I am forcing this on you, and I understand if you ignore my plea, but please listen. You must not let his departure affect you negatively. And you must find who_**you** _are without him. Trust me, little one, please. Things may change very drastically, and you must be prepared for it."

Amarante stared at him, more confused and scared and anxious than she had ever been before. Tide had left her to look for a person she had never even met. She was alone. And here Conteur was, begging her to ignore the fact that Tide was gone and to find who she was.

_Who I am? What does he mean? And how can he ask such a question at this point and time?!_

But she knew that Conteur would not ask of anything unless it was serious. Completely serious.

She hesitated, uneasy. "I'll remember what you said."

The Glaceon visibly relaxed. "Good. Today, you're going to be accompanying Alessandra and me down to the meeting room. It's going to be a lot like the last time you were there but it might get… serious. More serious than the last time."

----------

Grovyle tapped his talons on the table. The meeting wasn't supposed to start for another half hour, and he was alone in the meeting room. But he was restless, too restless to stay in his room (where he would have stared at the cracked door for hours) and he had too much on his mind to be around other Pokemon. If he had his way, he wouldn't be there; he would be outside in the forest, where his mind would be clearest, instead of waiting for a meeting which was sure to set him off track completely.

The minutes ticked by slowly, and Grovyle didn't know whether to praise Dialga for giving him extra time with his thoughts or to curse the time deity for lengthening his mind's suffering. The Wood Gecko sighed, suddenly just wanting to leave. He stood, but at the same moment, the elevator door opened, and Saif emerged into the room.

The scarred Gallade seemed to hesitate, then said, "Grovyle, if you do not wish to stay, you may leave. I'll cover for you're absence."

Grovyle closed his eyes and put his hand up to his forehead, weighting his options. He could stay and risk an almost-certain breakdown, or he could leave and be alone with his thoughts, neither of which sounded very appealing.

"…I'll stay," he said at last with a silent but heavy sigh. He looked up at Saif from across the table. "I said some things to him that I shouldn't have said. And the things that I left unsaid were the things that I _should _have said." He looked back down. "I can't believe that I let myself lose to my emotions."

It didn't surprise Saif to hear these words. Grovyle would only open himself up like this to Celebi and Olivia (if the latter were there), but the unspoken respect between the Blade Pokemon and the Wood Gecko Pokemon allowed for the discussion.

"There's nothing you can do to change what you said," Saif said, keeping his voice in a calm coolness. He knew that these probably weren't the words that Grovyle wanted to hear, but they were the ones he had to. "Tide left, but we can't focus on him in this meeting. If you want to save him, right now we can only focus on our mission to stop the Freeze. But until then, I'll allow you to bounce your thoughts off of me. Sound fair?"

Grovyle let out a snort of pessimistic laughter. "You're talking to me like I'm the child and you're the adult."

"We're _both _adults," Saif retorted defensively, obviously perturbed that he was only five years while Grovyle had lost count of his age, as it mattered little in the Pokemon world.

"Of course we are." Suddenly losing his desire to laugh, Grovyle turned somber. "Tide said that he was leaving with some shaman of sorts. An Umbreon. I assume it's from the tribe of Umbreon, but you can never be too sure with the Eevee clans."

Saif opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted when the elevator behind him opened and a male Umbreon stepped out.

They both blinked at the Umbreon. The Umbreon held itself with the dignity of a leader. "I guess I'm early?" he asked, his deep voice nearly uncaring of the question.

Before Grovyle could stop himself, he spoke. "This is unrelated to the meeting, but does your tribe rely on the practice of shaman?"

The Umbreon blinked in confusion. "Why you ask such a question, I do not want to know. But to answer your question, no, we do not. The Eevee clans have not practiced shamanism in decades."

----------

"How much farther is it, Lune?"

"Just a day, maybe less if we keep up a good pace."

Tide panted as the sun beat down on his back. They had been walking for hours, and he was incredibly tired, having not had any sleep the previous night. But just the thought of the sun brought the word 'fire' to his mind, and it reminded him of the tail of his friend, and reignited the determination within him. With these thoughts in mind, he couldn't help letting out an involuntary growl as he remembered his argument with Grovyle the night before.

Lune looked sideways at Tide. "What is on your mind?"

"Grovyle," Tide spat out, his eyes narrowing to slits. "He refused for me to come; I told you. He doesn't have faith that she's alive. That I can find her. He never cared about her."

"Not like you do," Lune added calmly. "This is why you are going to find her, and not him."

Tide paused and looked at the scenery around them. They were in a forest (thankfully not a mystery dungeon), and the trees were gorgeous and green. The occasional rock would protrude from the ground, hinting at their destination of Craggy Coast.

"You're right," he agreed. _He_ was the one who cared about Olivia, not Grovyle. _He _was the one who was going to find her. _He was the one who loved her._

Lune smiled. "We'll find her, Tide, don't worry."


	15. Unforeseen War

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon, nope nope nope!**

**Sorry for the delay, and for the... eh, writing awkwardness in the begining. It's a little too fast, but I didn't know how to fix it. **

**OH, Sparks fans will see a few names in here, AND a nice surprise. ^_^**

**ANYWAYS, here's where the story gets... darker. More sinister. Even more mysterious... okay, I'll stop. Off you go to read (and review? 8D)!**

**Fourteen: Unforeseen War**

_It _had come unexpectedly.

It had been two days since Tide's departure. With the Piplup's absence and the constant threat of the Freeze hanging over his head, Grovyle was stressed. Not that others weren't stressed as well, but only Grovyle held guilt.

He knew that there was something off about the unknown Umbreon, but for all he knew, Tide could be on the other side of the world. And it was most important for him to stay here, to try to get a handle on the Freeze - even though he didn't like it. But with each passing minute, the sinister threat grew…

The Wood Gecko tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Saif in the meeting room. They had just ended a meeting on a bunch of mumbo-jumbo politics (such as dealing with a squabble between a society of birds and a clan of Wurmple, Caterpie, Weedle and the like), and he was completely ready to leave. But it appeared that Saif had company. Apparently, a Pokemon from the Seaside Factory, the place where Saif had grown up and worked, had come to visit him.

A Medicham with a pouch tied around her neck pulled back from a tight embrace with the Gallade. "Saif!" she said excitedly for the umpteenth time. "I haven't seen you in years!"

"I can't believe you evolved," Saif commented, looking extremely happy. "I thought you'd stay Meditite forever."

Medicham rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the shoulder. "And I thought you'd stay a scrawny Ralts forever, but then you became a Kirlia before you left. But I knew you'd evolve."

He looked at the pouch around her neck. "You still have that crystal?"

"Of course I do!" she answered in mock shock. "Father gave it to me. I'm keeping it till I die."

"Of course," Saif laughed. "How is everyone?" he asked.

Medicham's face grew solemn. "Well, Chansey's still there, but she's getting old. No one other than me wanted to come because they still wanted to work in the factory…And…" She hesitated slightly before continuing, her voice strengthening very slightly. "Electivire passed away; Ursaring is his successor."

Saif frowned, and Grovyle saw that his eyes were swimming with thoughts. But Medicham wasn't done.

"Herrero's gone too, Saif," she said, her eyes flooding with concern and sadness as she watched for the Gallade's reaction.

The Blade Pokemon blinked. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

"Herrero died," Medicham explained. "It was a few months ago. He was giving off electricity for the factory and he had a heart attack." She hesitated, and put her hand on his shoulder. Instantly, Grovyle felt like he was intruding on something private, so he looked away slightly.

There was a moment of silence, and Saif gently shook off her hand. "There'll be a time to pay respect for him later," he said quietly. In a more cheerful - most likely forceful - tone, he added, "Do you want a-- Oh, you haven't met Seul yet, have you?"

Medicham blinked in confusion. "Who's Seul?"

"She's my mate," Saif announced proudly, taking her by the arm and leading her to the elevator, motioning for Grovyle to come with them. "I'll take you to meet her. I know you'll like her. She's a wonderful Gardevoir."

Grovyle noticed Medicham's eyes cloud in sadness, and he looked away from her. It was not his business to intrude upon other's lives. He was not a gossiper.

"Oh." Saif suddenly stopped and whipped around. "You haven't met Grovyle. Grovyle, this is Mediti-- cham. Medi_cham_. Medicham, this is Grovyle; he's smart, but he can be a real pain in the ass."

As Grovyle nodded politely to Medicham, he noticed that Saif was acting more carefree. Perhaps being with an old friend brought out his "inner-child." Or maybe he was just trying to convince them that he wasn't badly affected by his mentor's death.

Medicham nodded politely back, but she looked a little distracted.

It was then that _it_ came.

It first came as a high-pitched, whistle-like sound. All three Pokemon in the room winced and covered their ears, but the sound didn't lessen. Then, almost faintly, came a voice.

_**We know! We know!**_

Celebi! It was Celebi! Grovyle's heart leaped. Finally, just close to when they were going to give up on the mission, Celebi and the others had found the information in the Old Ruins!

_**We know where the Chamber is!**_ she continued. _**The legends are true! Quick, you must gather a team and bring them to the Utopian Labyrinth. It's located just west of Mt. Travail--**_

Her voice was cut off or drowned out (Grovyle was unsure which) as a sudden deafening clamor came from above. There was so much noise; it seemed as if the entire base was shouting at once.

_**G-Grovyle, Saif!**_ came a mental stutter. It was the voice of Sen, a Solrock, one of the guards who kept watch in the upper branches of the tree. His voice was panicked. _**I heard Celebi! A-and there's a mass of Pokemon coming into--**_

This time, Grovyle knew that the telepathic connection had been cut off. He locked wide eyes with Saif, the sudden new information processing in their minds. If Sen had heard Celebi, that meant that the Time Traveler had given every Pokemon in the entire base - if not more - the information. And what was with the mass of Pokemon? It wasn't unusual nowadays for large groups to travel to the base, but why had the Solrock sounded so distressed? And why had he cut off the communication?

_CRRRRRREEEAAAAKKKKK….CRASH!_

There was absolute silence for about one second as Grovyle and Saif's eyes widened. The sound was something they had heard before in forests; the sound of an exceptionally large branch being split from its tree host, and tumbling to the ground.

The next moment, the whole earth and base seemed to shake. Screams sounded from the levels above as Pokemon panicked.

"We're being attacked!" Saif exclaimed, jumping on the table and running at an extraordinary speed to the back of the room and grabbing the Leaf Blade from its shelf (this earned a slight frown from Grovyle, but the Wood Gecko knew that this was Saif's weapon of choice and didn't complain). He ran back to them in nearly the blink of an eye. "We need to protect everyone!"

Grovyle let out a grunt of agreement, and Medicham announced, "I'm coming with you!"

Grovyle would have said no - for Medicham, while being a Fighting Pokemon, didn't seem to be very capable of combat - but somehow he felt that this wasn't his decision to make.

Saif gave her a look before nodding in understanding, and then tore open the elevator door to find Rotom cowering in the corner.

The trio crammed into the elevator. "Get us up there!" Grovyle commanded.

Rotom shivered and reluctantly nodded before sinking into the wall. The elevator hummed to life, and shot up toward the ground level.

"Medicham, can you still use telepathy?" Saif asked.

Medicham nodded. "But it's limited in range," she warned.

"Seul is a few levels up," he explained hurriedly. "I need her to know what's going on. Then she can use her telepathy to call for reinforcements."

Medicham nodded, albeit hesitantly, and closed her eyes, focusing her senses. She stayed silent even when they got to the ground level, and the two waited for her to finished before they opened the door.

What they saw was absolute anarchy. Pokemon were screaming and running, and even attacking each other in confusion. There were so many Pokemon, that it was a raging sea of creatures and colors. It was truly terrifying.

Medicham's expression became disheartened. "We have to go through all--"

In a cruel way, the trio was saved from having to push through the mass of Pokemon as a small section of wall near them suddenly exploded, scattering wood and Pokemon alike as two colorless, lifeless Electrodes rolled into the room, their job having being done.

Saif's grip on the deep-green sword tightened, and he rushed forward, Medicham and Grovyle following him closely.

Outside, they found other warriors streaming outside, through the front door, and windows, some even riding on the backs of Bird or Dragon Pokemon. But, this was nothing compared to what else they saw.

Hundreds of Pokemon - perhaps even more - of nearly every variety were streaming out of the mystery dungeon woods. Their eyes were expressionless, and where color should be in their fur, feathers, skin, or scales, was a shade of grey; it was as if it was a legion of living stone. Though seemingly impassive, they held a dark quality; a deadly quality. It was clearly an army set to kill.

----------

Amarante screeched as the base trembled. Quickly, Alessandra pulled the fox closer with her head leaf, sheltering her from the unknown threat. Quickly, Conteur urged them away from the shelves of the library where books were beginning to topple off down onto the floor.

"What's going on?!" Amarante squealed, trembling as Conteur urged them to hide under a table.

Conteur hesitated, and it was the first time that Amarante saw that he was truly afraid. "…I don't know."

----------

On instinct, Saif rushed into battle, holding Herrero's Sword in a readied position. A colorless Arcanine met him, letting out a steady stream of fire. Quickly, the Gallade ducked and rolled to come to the side of the Fire dog, stabbing the beast in the chest. It gave a lurch, and then fell to the ground.

"Watch out!"

Saif turned around just in time to see an Aggron be felled by an Aura Sphere.

Caden appeared before him as more warriors rushed out into battle. "Don't let your guard down," the Lucario warned. She frowned, her eyes troubled. "These Pokemon have no aura."

"What?" he asked in disbelief, forgetting about the battle for a split-second. Wasn't _everything _supposed to have an aura?

"Well," Caden corrected, "they don't have the aura of any living thing." She closed her eyes. "I can sense them… but they are like smoke. Their aura is there, yet not there…"

A light pinkish blur ran in between them, smacking a Cranidos away with a Force Palm. "Pay attention!" Medicham reprimanded them, giving Saif a stern yet anxious look.

"Right." Saif repositioned his grip on his sword, and leapt back into the fray.

----------

A low feral cry rang out from the darkness of the cavern. Wet, slimy black stone had gouge marks in them, looking to have been made as easily as a claw through a leaf.

The cry came again, this time more menacing. A loud scraping noise sounded, bits of rock flying lose from the wall.

"The Utopian Labyrinth_…_" This voice did not belong to the creature who owned the savage growl. It was calm, icy, and somewhat shrill; it almost seemed to ring both in the ears as well as the mind. "So that is where it is."

"We have no time to lose." This voice, too, did not belong to the unknown beast. Unlike the icy voice, this was deep and submissive. "The diversion should be going along smoothly, but the Grey fight with no soul; we will have to hurry."

The two voices sounded almost ignorant of the sounds of the monster's ominous snarls.

"I know of this," the first voice retorted at the other's statement, its tone harsh. "I am not an imbecile."

"Of course you are not," the second responded quickly. "I apologize if I made it sound as if you were so."

"You must at least think that," the icy voice sneered. "I will not allow such behavior from my highest subject."

"Of course not," the submissive voice repeated. "I am your servant. I would never think of you in such a way."

"Good." This was said with finality, and they said nothing more.

There was a cruel grating sound as the wall was scoured again. The beast let out a ferocious howl-like sound filled with agitation and rage…

----------

As the battle wore on, Saif found it easy to kill the strange grey Pokemon; the only advantage that the enemy had was their sheer numbers. He noticed that they fought with no passion, that they hardly defended themselves. It was like a game of chess with one side playing only with pawns.

A Nidoking lunged for him, and he easily blocked with Herrero's Sword. He extended his elbow blades and brought his arm forward, effectively Slashing the Drill Pokemon's arm before stabbing it in the stomach. An ashen liquid resembling blood poured profusely from the wounds, and the Nidoking slumped to the ground.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his shoulder as talons dug into his skin, flinging him into the air before efficiently slamming him into the dirt. His head jarred into the ground, causing him to hiss in pain.

Hurriedly, he grabbed for his sword and turned to look up at a Pidgeot. The Bird Pokemon had gained altitude, and was now streaking down toward him, preparing for a Wing Attack. But before the Pidgeot could reach him, Medicham appeared. The Meditate Pokemon had jumped into the air, and was now kneeing the bird in the chest, causing it to falter in the sky.

Medicham landed neatly beside him. "Your shoulder's bleeding," she said with concern.

"Your leg is too," he retorted, getting up and sliding into his battle stance.

The Pidgeot, though having been wounded, swooped back down upon them. Saif made to slash at it with his sword, but it bat at the weapon with its wing and slapped it out of his grip. During this, the Pidgeot was distracted, and Medicham effortlessly hit it with an Ice Punch, snapping its neck.

"I see you have a few more tricks," Saif panted, hurrying to pick up his sword.

"Just a few," Medicham answered, keeping an eye out while Saif retrieved his weapon.

Saif stood and readied his weapon, his eyes scanning the battlefield. He hadn't really taken the time to look, but the once-peaceful forest clearing was stained with blood, both ashen and crimson, and bodies littered the ground as Pokemon fought…Pokemon?

"What _are_ these things?" he muttered. He never got an answer.

He looked back. "Medicham--"

Saif broke off as he saw a colorless Garchomp fly toward them at terrifying speeds. Quickly, he pulled her behind him and jumped to meet the Mach Pokemon in midair.

With a thud-like clatter, Herrero's Sword, the Leaf Blade, fell to the earth at Grovyle's* feet as Medicham looked on in horror.

* * *

***Note, during to the confusion of battle, Pokemon may seem to appear out of nowhere.**


	16. Revelations

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, Pokemon is not mine. If it WAS, the anime might have a few changes... *coughcough***

**I bet you're surprised that I've updated so fast. Well, I'm going into an obsession phase. I write about what I'm obsessed with. And right now, I'm obsessed with this.**

**As the name of the chapter suggests, there are revelations in here. But also questions... dun dun dunnnnnnnn. Sorry, I just had to be cheesy there. :P**

**Hint for all those who like to wonder what's going to happen next: There is some foreshadowing in here.**

**I don't know the lifespan of a Ghost Pokemon, but for this fic they are alive and can be killed.**

**Fifteen: Revelations**

"Is it sufficiently chained inside that cage?" came the icy voice from inside the ebony carriage that was being carted by two Grey Rapidash along a rocky path.

"Of course, Master," came the reply.

The curtain covering the window shifted slightly - as to not let in too much sunlight - as the first being surveyed the cage being transported behind them in the air by three Grey Dragonite. The creature being held inside the cage wasn't visible through the tiny air holes, but it was certainly heard as it screeched and clawed at the steel.

The curtain closed again. "I do not know why I listened to your suggestion," the icy voice harassed. "It is a nuisance to listen to."

"It is a precaution, Milord."

The first voice scoffed. "Like I need a 'precaution.'"

"Still, Milord, it causes you much exhaustion to summon the more powerful of the Grey. And this you did not even have to summon; I brought it for you."

"Of course, you want me to thank you, don't you? Well, I won't. First off, I still gave it power. And, though a beast, it still has 'feelings.' It is liable to turn on us."

"And I will destroy it for you if it does, Master."

"There's no stopping your ass-kissing ways, is there?"

Silence.

The smirk could be _heard_ in the shrill voice's tone. "I see. Anyways, where is the box?"

"Here." A glossy wooden box was passed across the space between the two and was received by the first speaker, who opened it and inspected the objects inside.

"Will the others be collected by the time we arrive?"

"If everything goes according to plan," was the answer.

"As it should," came the cold retort. A dark object was pulled out of the box and studied. "I will not wait any longer than I have to." Still studying the object, the icy voice asked, in a tone that sounded nearly uncaring of its question, "Is that Dusknoir still in the spirit world?"

"The Grey Ghosts say that it will emerge back into our world shortly."

"Make arrangements for it to be slaughtered once it arrives. But do not prolong your absence," the icy voice warned. "Your previous absence caused me much of a bother."

"Of course." In an instant, the 'Master' was alone, left to examine the objects in silence.

----------

A long time ago, Seul had set a bond between her and her mate. While her mate, being Psychically crippled, could not be able to tell what she was feeling, she could feel his emotions and pain - on a metaphysical level, of course. But this bond was weakened with distance. So, when the Pidgeot had attacked Saif, Seul had felt a pricking in her shoulder, and a slight fear had tightened her lungs.

But now, immense pain flourished in her chest and side, and she knew that this was a fraction of what her mate was feeling. In an instant, she Teleported out of her room and (with both luck and practiced skill) appeared next to her injured mate.

The injured Gallade was lying splayed out on the ground, bleeding profusely from a gash in his chest. The red horn in his chest had been shattered. A Medicham was kneeling beside him, worry clearly apparent on her face. And a few feet away, Grovyle was drawing Saif's sword out of the body of a colorless Garchomp.

Being so close to him caused the pain in her chest to expand. On instinct, she threw up a Protection barrier around them before dropping down to her knees.

"Saif…" she whispered hoarsely, putting her hand on his forehead.

Saif's body shivered at her touch, but he otherwise remained unresponsive.

"Saif…!" she pleaded, leaning down closer to his face. She wished she could Teleport him back to the sickbay, but any movement could worsen him. "Don't go," she whispered, shaking. "W-what's going to happen? I-I can't take care of… Not without you… Our…It can't grow up without a father!"

Understanding clicked sadly in Medicham's mind as she heard the words. Seul was going to have an Egg.

"I-it's my fault!" Medicham blurted, tears beginning to stream down her face. "He was protecting me," she sobbed. "I-I should never h-have come."

"Stop it." Grovyle stood over them, keeping a tight grip on Saif's sword. "I highly doubt Saif wants you to mourn him as he's dying. There's nothing you can do to change this, so stop begging and crying."

Both females blinked up at Grovyle in surprise. It was so unlike him to sound so cold and cruel, but they both noticed that his arm was trembling ever so slightly.

"…Pain in the ass…"

The trio each gave a start and stared down at the Gallade. Saif's eyes were still closed, but his breathing was coming a little more easily than before.

"…Keep that sword for me, will ya?" he asked, his voice coming in a low rasp. Saif let out a cough, and blood spattered out with it. "It is, after all--" he broke off with another cough. "--my namesake. Saif…Sword… Get it? Heh…I got it a long time ago," he rambled. "When I got my scar… Remember, Seul?"

"I remember," she answered softly with a sad smile, recalling past times.

"Medi…" Saif continued wearily.

"Yes?" Though her heart was heavy, Medicham couldn't stop it from quickening its beat in hope.

"I missed you… a lot." His voice was slowing and losing volume. "Tell everyone back home that… I'm sorry I didn't come back and visit. Okay?"

Even though his eyes were closed, she nodded. "I will," she whispered, her voice nearly breaking along with her heart. This was it. She couldn't say anything more to him now. And she would never get another chance.

Saif let out another feeble cough. "So… you gonna keep it, Grovyle?"

"Of course I am, you idiot," Grovyle answered, though his voice hardly held a teasing edge.

Saif gave a weak but sincere smile. "Good."

The enormous, nearly physical pain that had harbored in Seul's chest suddenly vanished to be replaced with an entirely new anguish.

----------

By now, all the books and shelves in the library had toppled to the floor, and it was now safe to come out from under the table. But Amarante didn't agree with this, and cowered under it as Alessandra paced in one of the few clear spots on the floor beside a window.

"I need to be out there," the Chikorita muttered as she watched the carnage. "I can't just sit in here and wait."

"I'm not letting you go out there," Conteur said before turning back to Amarante. His voice softened. "Everything will be all right, little one."

"I want Tide," she whimpered.

The Glaceon stiffened. "No, you don't," he corrected in an urgent whisper. "He's not here. You can't wish for him. Besides--"

"But I want him," Amarante whined. "I don't want to be here. I want to be with him back home. I want to go home!"

The little fox put her paws over her eyes. "Let me go home!" she cried. "I want Tide!"

"I'm sorry," Conteur apologized. "But you can't have these things. Not now."

"Crying only makes it worse," Alessandra added, still pacing beside the window.

Amarante continued to sob. Conteur leaned closer to her ear and whispered so that only she could hear his words.

"I didn't wish to interfere like this," he apologized. "I wanted you to find who you are concealing on your own, but you are too much of your own person to know. You need to know this."

Amarante's tears stopped for a moment as she looked at the Glaceon. "Wha…?"

"You are you," Conteur explained. "But inside you is the person Tide is looking for. Olivia."

----------

Darkness swirled in a fog over the ground as Dusknoir struggled through it. He was almost there. Almost to the exit. He had to hurry, but since, being a Ghost, he wasn't essentially dead, he could not move around in the spirit world as fast as he would like, nor could he fully experience what the dead were experiencing; hence, the dark fog. Neither could he be sure of how much time had passed in the world of the living.

There weren't nearly as many spirits in this world as there should have been. And he had seen these spirits disappear before his very eyes.

Every once in a while, a gap would open in space, and a mysterious chanting sound would come from it. This would be followed by a great wind, and a fraction of the Pokemon in the spirit world would be pulled into the gaping darkness.

Dusknoir didn't know where those Pokemon had gone, but he knew that this was most certainly not normal. This was why he had to hurry back to the base, to tell Grovyle and Saif and Celebi about the abduction of the spirits.

Ahead, he saw the sudden rise in the ground that led to the Tunnels; the numerous passages that brought you between the dimensions of the dead. As quickly as he could, he hurried to the one that was swirling with color, the one that would bring him to the world of the living.

Before he could get there, however, he stopped in his tracks. One of the Tunnels made a nearly-gurgling sound, and one of the last Pokemon he would have expected to see emerged.

It was Saif.

Sadness and pain was etched into every feature on his face, though his wounds had been 'healed' before he had been brought here. But as he studied the landscape (unknown to Dusknoir, as no Pokemon could truly know death before they died; hence, again, the dark fog), his face softened, as if thinking, _Maybe this isn't so bad after all…_

"Saif!" Dusknoir called, his surprise apparent in his voice.

The Gallade gave a start, and locked eyes with the Gripper Pokemon. "…Dusknoir? I forgot that you were here…"

"What happened to you?" Dusknoir asked, hesitatingly approaching Saif.

"The base was attacked," Saif answered bluntly.

"Attacked?!" Dusknoir couldn't believe it. "Just how long have I been gone?"

"Just over a week," Saif explained. "But a lot happened." Saif went on to explain how Tide and Amarante had come to the base, and all that had transpired, from Celebi's departure to Tide's, and how Celebi had informed them of the location of the Chamber of the Sacred Seventeen, as according to the legend.

"It was then that we were attacked," the Gallade continued. "They were so many of them… and they were the weirdest Pokemon I'd ever seen. They were colorless and fought with no heart. Caden - you remember, the Lucario? - she said that their aura wasn't that of anything living."

Dusknoir stiffened. "What was that last part?"

Saif gave him a questioning look. "Their aura wasn't that of anything living," he repeated.

Something clicked in Dusknoir's mind. He jerked to attention. "I'm sorry Saif, but I have to hurry!" he apologized.

Saif blinked in confusion, but otherwise didn't make any move to stop Dusknoir as the Gripper Pokemon hurried to the Tunnel that would take him to the world of the living.

Dusknoir had come upon a conclusion based on Saif's explanation and his own experience. The Pokemon that had attacked the base must be the Pokemon who had been Frozen; and their odd aura was their dead spirits. They were being controlled by an unknown force, but for what? Why?

Another thing that Dusknoir didn't know was what was awaiting him in the world of the living.


	17. Toll

**DISCLAIMER: Pokemon is not mine. I wish it was, though.**

**I feel almost as if I made both Conteur and Dusknoir sound really creepy. O.O Oh well. Just ignore any creepy-ness you might see. I'm probably overreacting.**

**Anyways, I'm making some blantant (well, as blatant as possible) foreshadowing in here... In the last chapter, none of you who reviewed saw what I thought was uber-obvious... Perhaps you all will see at the end of this one? But then again... I like *censored for possible spoiler*, don't you? XD**

**On a side-note, I've found it more easy and, well, fun to write about the unknown in the carriage. But no one's taken a guess as to their identities *coughcough***

**And, I'm sorry, Saif was always meant to die. Somehow, I'm not as sad as I should be. Maybe it's because I am absolute, positively nowhere NEAR finishing Sparks. At all. Eh, maybe I'll feel sad when I write the final chapter for that. **

**Sixteen: Toll**

Amarante stared at Conteur like he was crazy. "What?" was all she could say.

"I'm not saying that Olivia is you, and you are Olivia," he explained, though Amarante thought that he wasn't doing a very good job of explaining. "You are you; that is very apparent. Olivia is the reason that you are alive."

Amarante blinked. "What?" None of this was processing in her brain.

In spite of the situation, the Glaceon gave a slight smirk in amusement. "I am not sure how this is, but I know it is true. And, this magic is not impossible; Dialga likely took pity on Tide and Olivia, but Arceus decreed that once a Pokemon has died, they have died. But nearly everything has a loophole."

Amarante narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I'm a…loophole?"

"Not in a bad sense," Conteur added quickly. "You were most likely going to be born anyway; though I honestly am not sure how you came to be. All I know is that Olivia is in you."

Ranta looked at her paws. "How can you be so…sure?"

"A very, very, very long time ago, I had a dream. Dialga was in it. You must never ignore a dream in which a Legendary appears. He told me that one day I would find a pure spirit with two wholes."

The fox blinked at him again as if he were crazy. "What kind of a dream is that?"

Conteur gave a content smile. "No one can understand everything, little one."

"Then why are you so sure about me?" she asked boldly.

"You eyes hold the light of two pairs, not one," he justified.

Amarante genuinely did not know what to make of this. Inside her was Olivia? And Olivia was the reason she was alive, that she was _her_? But at the same time, she was herself? This was too confusing.

Sudden guilt washed over her. Tide was out looking for _her_. He was gone - missing - and she held within her the one being that Tide wanted above all.

Conteur, who seemed to guess where her thoughts were heading, said, "Don't think like that. Tide is beyond the point of return. Denial only makes things worse, and he is an example of that."

Ranta miserably looked at her paws. How could Conteur say this, when she was the reason that Tide was gone? Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

"Why didn't you tell Tide or me this earlier?" she asked, her voice uncharacteristically hostile.

Conteur winced. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. But you wouldn't…understand my answer."

"Tell me," Amarante pleaded.

Conteur looked almost pained as he opened his mouth. But he was saved from answering as a sudden shout interrupted him.

"I can't stand it anymore!"

The two whipped around to see Alessandra attack the window with a Razor Leaf attack, effectively shattering the glass before jumping out of the window and onto an incredibly broad branch below.

----------

The Tunnels that brought living Pokemon back to their realm didn't have a fixed destination; it was designed to get a Pokemon back to their world, but not to an exact place. Which included the place which the Pokemon had entered to go to the realm of the dead in the first place - though you would end up within about a mile or so radius, but it wasn't unheard of to wind up perhaps even ten miles away.

This was how, instead of appearing in the meeting room where he had cast the Ghostly magic to travel to the land of the dead, Dusknoir found himself hovering in midair above the battlefield, the enormous tree of the base behind him. He looked down in horror at the bloodshed; though many of the slain were of the opposite side (of which he alone knew to be the Frozen Pokemon) , he spotted casualties among the 'colorful' as well.

So mesmerized was he by the battle that he did not notice the colorless Honchkrow and Weavile (the latter riding on the former's back) flying toward him at high speed.

----------

As Alessandra raced along the branch (she was making up her plan as she went; at the moment, she had no clue how she was going to get to the ever-distant ground), she saw, below her, two of the colorless Pokemon streaking toward a Pokemon she had not seen in a long while.

"Dusknoir!" she called out. She stopped, aimed as carefully as she could, and shot a volley of Razor Leaves at the enemy. It was a direct hit. While the attack wasn't effective, it caused the Honchkrow to falter in its flight.

Dusknoir jerked out of his reverie and looked up to see the colorless Pokemon still coming for him, but much more slowly. Quickly, he gathered the static in the air into his fist before slamming it into his opponents as a Thunder Punch.

The Honchkrow dropped out of the sky, but the Weavile managed to jump off of its back before swiping at Dusknoir with a Night Slash. Dusknoir attempted to put up a Protection barrier, but the attack hit him in the arm before he could do so.

The Weavile grabbed hold of Dusknoir's arm and Bit into it rather ravenously. Pain shot up his arm, and Dusknoir shook it in an attempt to dislodge the Dark Pokemon, but to no avail. The Weavile clawed at his arm with Night Slashes, successfully drawing the shadowy, gaseous blood that belonged to Ghost Types.

Fed up, Dusknoir balled up his fist and hit the Ice Pokemon with a Fire Punch, finally causing the Weavile to lose its grip and fall to its doom.

Though hurt, Dusknoir was almost in shock. Saif had told him how unfeeling these strange Pokemon were, but it had been shocking to see such expressionless eyes. For the first time, he wondered if the dead spirits were all right or not; were they in pain? Could they feel _anything_?

"Dusknoir!"

The Ghost looked up to see a Chikorita looking down at him from one of the branches of the tree. For the life of him, he couldn't remember her name; only her face. She was a guide of the base, right?

"Are you okay?" she asked loudly.

"I'm fine," he answered, levitating upwards to come beside her.

"Um…" she stalled, suddenly remembering her hostility towards Ghost Types - for a Ghost had killed her brother; how could she not have hostility toward them? But, she couldn't think about that now. She had to get down to help out with the fighting. "Can you take me down there?" she asked, pointing her nose downward.

He did the Dusknoir-equivalent of a frown (being as he didn't have a mouth on his face). "You shouldn't risk it," he warned her.

The Chikorita scrunched up her face in anger. "I don't care! I want to help! I can't just wait around while _this _is happening!" She gestured with her head leaf down at the battlefield.

When Dusknoir still looked uncertain, she added, "Even if you don't help me, I'll get down there anyways."

Dusknoir couldn't help but brighten at the Chikorita's persistence. He couldn't deny her.

He held out his arm, and she hesitatingly perched on it, almost like a Chatot would.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Alessandra," she answered bluntly, doing her best not to fall off Dusknoir's shoulder as they descended, though she was also doing her best to stop shaking like a leaf.

"Afraid of heights?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "Ghosts."

Dusknoir chuckled. "I see."

Suddenly, they were blinded as a flash of light illuminated the battlefield.

----------

Grovyle watched sadly as, grief-stricken, Seul took her mate's body and Teleported away, back inside the base most likely.

He turned to Medicham and wished her a quick "Good luck," before hurrying off back into the thick of the fighting.

It was definitely different, he noted, fighting with a sword. He wasn't used to fighting without his hands free, but it wasn't a _bad _kind of different. It was just…different. He liked the fact that it felt like an extension of his arms, almost as natural as the leaves on his arms. It was different, but he could get used to it.

He grimaced, however, as he pulled the sword out of the body of a colorless Persian. Even though these odd Pokemon had attacked them, he didn't like killing them, even if they seemed expressionless and lifeless. But just because he didn't like it didn't give him a reason not to have to do it.

Hurriedly, he ducked out of the way of a flailing limb and dashed forward, slashing at a Golbat that had been flapping about in the air.

Grovyle took a moment to catch his breath before he surveyed the battle. The opposing side still held more Pokemon, but their numbers were dwindling faster than his side was. But, he noticed, these colorless Pokemon didn't seem to be tiring; perhaps it was because, with their greater numbers, they could gang up on others - or it could have been something else, for all he knew.

Break now over, he was about to jump back into the fray when a sudden light blinded him. Defensively, he covered his face with his arms until the light faded. Blinking, he looked up and saw a familiar figure hovering above the battleground.

"Celebi!" he cried out, surprised. She must have Teleported here ahead of the rest of the group she had taken to the Old Ruins.

"_What's going on here_?!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing both in the air and in Grovyle's mind as she - probably unintentionally - used telepathy.

Quickly, Grovyle dodged through the battling Pokemon (though the defenders had been shocked at Celebi's appearance, the colorless Pokemon seemed to care less) towards her. "Celebi!" he called. He had to repeat himself louder as he approached to catch her attention, though.

Celebi lowered herself down next to him. "What's going on?!" she asked, her eyes wild. "Why do you have Saif's sword?! What--"

Grovyle grabbed her shoulder in an effort to calm her. "Saif's dead," he said bluntly. That effectively dumbfounded her.

"Celebi," he continued, "is there anything you can do to stop this?"

Celebi blinked, snapping out of her shock. "I can try," she said with determination, but the sour tone of doubt underlined it as well.

Swiftly, she flew back into the air. She held out her hands, and a soft orb of light appeared in between them before shaping into an extremely large bell, like one you would find in a tower. She grasped the psychic rope and tugged downward on it, causing the bell to move, striking the supernatural metal on the inside, causing a soothing ringing to sound out.

Instantly, the colorless Pokemon froze. The defenders froze as well, but they did so in confusion, staring at the dull Pokemon warily.

Suddenly, the dull Pokemon weren't dull. Their features were still in shades of grey, but their eyes flooded with emotion and life. But as quick as the vitality had appeared, it disappeared, and the colorless Pokemon slumped to the ground, dead.

----------

A hiss of pain - though not unbearable pain - erupted from the innards of the ebony carriage. Before, the voice had felt only very slight discomfort as a Grey was wrenched from its control, and that had been incredibly easy to ignore. But with all the Grey in the vicinity of the Heal Bell's toll being seized from the voice's control at once, the pain had been much harder to ignore.

"Master?" came the servant's voice, concerned.

"I'm fine." And truly, the being of which the icy voice belonged to was fine; the pain had been only there for a split second, after all. "Was the slaughter of the Dusknoir successful?" it continued as if nothing had happened.

The servant's slight shifting could be heard. "No," the submissive voice answered finally.

"No matter. It will be easy to destroy them, even if they do gain some knowledge - even if they somehow make it to the Chamber," it added. "All I wanted was to be rid of some nuisance, but I suppose that's not possible."

There was silence for a moment, but it was broken by a feral screech.

"I swear," the icy voice cried, "if I must hear that _creature _one more time I will _kill _it!"

"I will sedate it," came the obedient response. The servant disappeared for a moment - the door to the carriage never opening - and came back, the job being done.

"I have half a mind to turn that into a Grey," the icy voice threatened, "and the other half to just get rid of it."

"Trust me, Milord," the servant attempted to soothe, "with its living soul, it will kill more ravenously if we were to be attacked. This way, I could defend you better, and you would not be exhausted because you would not have to use your power."

"What compelled you to bring me _that_?"

"Simple. It had great potential."

"Your orders were to keep it from causing us bother, not bring it directly." There was a sigh of exasperation. "I still can't believe I listened to your suggestion when you brought it to me."

"I carried out the orders," the servant defended. "It was an unbelievably easy task, and I took advantage of it. At least let us keep it for a precaution," the deep voice continued. "In case that Grovyle comes. We cannot underestimate them."

"I'm not _underestimating _them," came the hostile retort. "I have no doubt that they will do their damnedest to stop us. But that will not let them win. _I_ will not let them win."


	18. The Plan

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON.**

_So. This is long overdue. About... a month ago I was nearly finished with this. Then I did other stuff. Sorry. _

_First, a bit of other story advertising: my Eternal Dusk. Apparently, I give Dusknoir a soul in it. o.O_

_Anyways, in here, more questions should arise from you. I can't remember what I've said in the last author notes (I'm much too lazy to look them up) so I don't remember what I've said to you, so I'm disregarding all that in case I put in some type of spoiler (because the ending keeps switching a bit. XD). I'm afraid the near-end of this chapter seems like crap to me, but oh well._

**Seventeen: The Plan**

Were it not for the toll of the Heal Bell, the aftermath of the battle would have been a mass of near chaos. Instead, everyone was in an odd air of calm as they gathered around the newcomer Celebi as she hesitatingly - but forcefully - floated back down to the earth.

"What…happened?" she asked Grovyle, the sudden quietness causing her to whisper. "I sent a telepathic message…Did you get it? I know it's not very accurate with the distance, but… What _happened_?"

"You sent the message to the entire base," Grovyle explained quietly as more Pokemon silently gathered around them. Some whispers could be heard in the crowd, but nothing coherent could be made out; it was as if the ringing of the Heal Bell had almost deafened them all and muted their voices. "I don't know why those… _things _were here though. But they blew a hole in the base… and some of the branches are broken…"

As he said this, he pointed back to the base, and Celebi turned to see that the colossal tree of Apple Woods had a jagged, singed hole in it, and several titanic branches littered the ground around it. It was nerve-racking to see their home, the place that was supposed to be at least a second home to every Pokemon, so ravaged…and who knew just what the internal damage was.

As Celebi gazed almost unbelievingly at it, she saw a dark form approaching them from the air. She squinted, making it out as black - and thankfully not grey. She blinked in realization, and glanced back at Grovyle. "When did Dusknoir get here?"

Grovyle stiffened in surprise. "He's not supposed to… I mean, he must've just gotten here."

Celebi turned her attention to the Pokemon amassing around them. "Everyone," she began, her voice sounding oddly loud, "Please, gather yourselves as best as you can, and help those who need it before going inside. If you'd please, if there are any injured inside, help them. Thank you." With that, she grasped Grovyle with her telekinesis and lifted him into the air (Grovyle being unwilling, but smart enough - and still somewhat in a state of shock - not to complain), and the two of them hurried to meet Dusknoir.

Both were surprised when they saw Alessandra perched on his shoulder, but they didn't question it; they had other important matters to ask about as they all lowered down to the ground, Alessandra jumping almost gratefully off of Dusknoir's arm, and Celebi let Grovyle out of her Psychic grip. Immediately, Grovyle saw the wound and gaseous blood on Dusknoir's arm. "You okay?" he asked in gruff concern, though his voice was still relatively quiet.

Dusknoir shook his head - not in answering 'no' to Grovyle's question, but rather shaking it off. His voice was hurried as he began, "I have information. Do not interrupt me." This was said with a meaningful one-eyed glance at Grovyle. "I met with Saif in the spirit world, and--"

Alessandra interrupted him. "What?!"

Dusknoir tensed, obviously holding back his temper. "Let me speak please, Alessandra."

The Chikorita looked as if she was about to say more, but held her tongue.

"As I was saying," Dusknoir continued, "Saif explained to me what's happened here--"

"But what _has _happened?" Celebi interjected. "I only now just got here, I have no clue what's going on."

"You didn't miss much," Grovyle explained. "You sent the message, and then they showed up and attacked. Then you came."

Dusknoir couldn't help but let out a slight growl at the interruptions. "Those Pokemon that we just fought. Their spirits are from the land of the dead; they were being abducted from there through a strange black hole. Their bodies must be those of the Frozen Pokemon. Ergo, _they are the Frozen Pokemon._ As a matter of fact, I do not see any of the Frozen around us - besides the ones that were just…" he trailed off. "And this place was littered with them when I was last here."

The three others were stunned. They hadn't noticed that there weren't any stone-like bodies around anymore… And these creatures - Pokemon - were dead… They were the bodies of the Frozen Pokemon, the strange phenomenon that they were attempting to stop. But why would they attack?

As if Dusknoir could read their minds, he added, "When the blank hole came, there was a chanting sound as they were pulled out. Someone is controlling them."

Celebi stiffened. "They came just after I sent the telepath…"

Understanding clicked in Grovyle's mind, and he picked up where the Psychic had left off. "…and the person controlling them must be distracting us while he goes to the Chamber." Alessandra looked back and forth between her three elders. She had been extremely dejected when she learned that Saif was dead - for she had looked upon the Gallade as a kind of role model - but she had listened to the rest of the conversation. Now, as she watched the trio stand there, the two Grass Types struggling to wrap their minds around the information, her temper flared. "Well!? Are we going to just stand here?! We need a plan!"

Grovyle shook himself, snapping out of his thoughts. He gave the Chikorita a thankful glance before turning to Celebi. "Don't we need those Treasures that the legend spoke of?"

Celebi frowned. "We needed them when we were trying to stop the Freeze. I don't know if we need them to get in the Chamber or not… but this unknown person, the one controlling the Frozen Pokemon; don't you think he'd have the Treasures if he were going to the Chamber?"

Grovyle had to admit that Celebi had a point. Why else would the unknown go to the Chamber if he didn't have the Treasures? He opened his mouth to agree with her, but was interrupted.

"Grovyle!"

He turned to see Medicham hurrying up to them. Like him and Dusknoir, she had minor battle wounds, and when she reached them she was panting.

"Grovyle," she repeated, "if you're going after whoever sent those things, I'm coming with you."

Grovyle frowned slightly, but when he noticed her absolute expression, he knew there was no changing her mind. She was set on revenge; her eyes were as harsh as steel. He nodded to her.

She gave a half-grin in acknowledgement, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "What do we need?"

Celebi looked uncertain. "All we know right now is that we need to get to the Chamber in the legend as soon as possible. We need a strong team. Preferably a strong _set_ of teams."

"Conteur needs to go too," Grovyle added, cupping his chin with his talons in thought. "He knows more about that place than anyone. Oh-- Celebi. Where's everyone who went with you?"

"We agreed that it would be best if I went ahead," she explained.

"We need teams _immediately_." Grovyle paused. "We four plus Conteur will make one team. We'll have to recruit from others. I'm sure Caden will come…" He trailed off, absently tightening his grip on his inherited sword.

"What about me?" Alessandra asked heatedly. "I can come! I can fight!"

Grovyle looked at her doubtfully, but - surprisingly - Dusknoir jumped to her defense. "She's certainly not weak. And her willingness must count for something. She even helped me earlier."

Grovyle hesitated; he had been reminded of something-- some_one_, from a long time ago. Someone who had shown true courage…for a time. _He _had courage when he was standing next to _her_, but here Alessandra was standing beside no one.

_How do you… manage to stay so strong?_

Instead of asking the question that was burning in his mind, he said, "You're safety isn't guaranteed."

"So?!" The determination in the Chikorita's voice was as the same intensity as in her eyes. "I can't sit by and do nothing!"

Finally, Grovyle nodded. "Fine. Now," he turned back to the others, "we should find Caden, and anyone else who will be willing to come. We don't know what we'll be up against, so we'll need a full pack of supplies. Perhaps several bags, if we're going in separate teams. Alessandra and… Medicham, you go and get the supplies. Celebi, Dusknoir, go find others willing to help. I'll go find Conteur. Let's meet in the meeting room."

Almost tentatively, Grovyle entered the library, remembering that Conteur had told him that he was going to try to teach Amarante and Alessandra more Unown runes. Grovyle wasn't sure what he would find here, but one thing was certain… the damage was almost _everywhere._ Books and shelves littered the floor, some of the shelves seeming to have had a domino effect on each other. Some Luminous Orbs seemed to have fallen from their hangings, and glass lay scattered on the floor. Even a window was broken. The only thing intact was the painting of Arceus on the ceiling.

Luckily, he saw Amarante and Conteur immediately. The fox and Ice-Type seemed to be in the middle of a discussion beside the broken window, and when Conteur saw Grovyle, he seemed to be somewhat… relieved. Confused, Grovyle hurried over.

"Grovyle!" Amarante exclaimed, obviously reassured at his presence enough to press closer to his side.

Not exactly used to this kind of display of affection - for even though he knew she trusted him, Amarante had always stuck to Tide like they were bound by a String Shot - Grovyle awkwardly glanced down at her before looking back at Conteur. "Celebi's back. We have to head for the Chamber immediately. Dusknoir's back too; I'll fill you in as we go."

Before he could even turn around, Conteur had gently nudged Amarante away and was leaning close to Grovyle's ear. "We have to bring her," he explained in a whisper, moving his eyes in the direction of the little fox. "I can't explain it fully to you, but I wouldn't ask you this if it wasn't important. Trust me. If anything happens to her, I'll personally take the blame for it. She _needs to come._"

Grovyle blinked, dumbfounded, at the Glaceon. Amarante was just a hatchling; nowhere near the experience level needed to face the daunting challenge of what they may face in the Utopian Labyrinth, nowhere near the experience level to even go up even against a 'colorless' _Magikarp_. He wouldn't even take her on a mission that was more than five miles away from their starting point. Her tail wasn't even completely red like a more grown-up Vulpix's should be!

Grovyle opened his mouth to respond. She wasn't ready. So why was Conteur asking such a question? In fact, he wasn't even asking a question… he was speaking a statement. So why did the Glaceon sound so… convinced that she had to come?

When Grovyle was still silent, Conteur added, "Just trust me. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't vital."

About half an hour or so after receiving Grovyle's instructions, Celebi, Medicham, Alessandra, Dusknoir, Caden, and a few other ragtag Pokemon waited in the meeting room. In the shaking commotion, most of the chairs were toppled, and the shelf which had previously held the Leaf Blade was no more. Luckily, Celebi - with the help of Rotom - had restored the elevator to working order using her Psychic ability.

Medicham and Alessandra paced while Celebi tapped her fingers against the table impatiently. Usually, she was the image of patience, but not now. Her dear Grovyle was late. Late! Well…there had never agreed upon a _time _to meet, but surely he would have come back by now? Just where was he?

She cast her mind out, doing her best to ignore the thoughts of pain. They really should be doing something more to help the refugees in the base. She had already calmed those who hadn't heard her Heal Bell the first time, and given a short speech that they were doing all in their power to repair the base. She had even used her powers to repair the ragged hole in the tree, though her work was rather messy and hasty.

Anyway, she was supposed to be scanning… Ah, there he was. Coming from the library. Conteur was there too, and Amarante.

Celebi had always liked the little fox. She was so shy and adorable. Her spirit was genuine as well. Celebi knew that there was something… different about Amarante's spirit, but she couldn't quite place it; she wasn't one to pry into others' minds - you know, morals and all.

She was about to send a telepathic message when she realized something. Blinking and breaking off her Psychic scan, she asked, "Where's Tide?"

Caden and Alessandra froze, while Medicham cocked her head, stopping in her pacing for a moment to ask, "Who?"

"…He left," Caden answered. The Lucario wasn't sure of all the details, but she knew Grovyle felt responsible for Tide's absence, and whatever may have/will happen to the Piplup.

"Left!?" Celebi levitated up off the table a few feet, her expression disbelieving and inquisitive. "What do you mean, 'left'? He wouldn't leave, not when we need him. Where would he even go?"

Caden shrugged, too uncertain to say anything. If there was one thing that, in general, Lucario-kind didn't like, it was being uncertain. Needless to say, with all that had been happening, Caden wasn't in the greatest mood internally, but she did her best not to let it show.

"He really isn't here," Alessandra said slowly, frowning.

"Tide?" Dusknoir asked, surprised. "You mean… _Tide_? He was here, in this time?"

"He still should be in this time, because I haven't taken him or Ranta back." Celebi paused. "Are you really sure he's not here?" she asked Alessandra again.

Before the Chikorita could respond, Dusknoir cut in. "Who?"

"Amarante," Celebi explained, her tiny fingers raised thoughtfully to her mouth. "She came with Tide. She's a nice little Vulpix." The words were kind, but Celebi's tone was elsewhere along with her mind, wondering just _where _Tide could be. She looked from Caden to Alessandra again. "…You really don't know where Tide is?"

"Tide's not here." The sudden voice was gruff and dismissive as Grovyle, Conteur, and Amarante came in via the elevator. The Wood Gecko strode to the center of the clear space before the table and looked at the Pokemon who stood a little ways away from the others - an Ampharos, a Starmie, and a Dodrio. "I assume you volunteered to come?" he asked.

The trio nodded (or you could say all five of them, considering the Dorio's heads). "We weren't hurt that badly," the Ampharos explained, motioning to her and the others' minor scratches and bruises.

Grovyle nodded and turned to Medicham. "Do we have all the supplies?"

She nodded, pointing to the three satchels filled with supplies; one of food, one of healing items, and one of a mix of those and Orbs.

"Good." Grovyle surveyed them for a moment. "There are eleven of us. Mobility would be restricted, but I think it would be safer to travel in one group. Agreed?"

The others nodded, albeit Celebi and Dusknoir slowly, glancing at Amarante for a split-second. The Gripper Pokemon levitated forward a few inches. "Eleven?"

"Yes. Eleven. Everyone in this room." Grovyle's eyes and tone held a challenge in them as he paused for a moment. "Celebi, will that be a problem for you to Teleport us all?"

Celebi frowned, though her thoughts weren't entirely on her capability as a Psychic. "No, but if Medicham and Starmie lend me their abilities, I can."

"Good. Is everyone ready?"

"Grovyle." Celebi, though concerned, felt her temper flare slightly. "Shouldn't you let everyone rest?"

"There's no time. Chesto Berries should be good enough."

"We really don't know if we have any time," Dusknoir put in. "I agree; we should leave now."

Celebi was still frowning. "But it'll be dark soon. How will we see?"

Suddenly, Ampharos's tail started to glow in response. "I can keep this up for hours," she said, severing the flow of electricity to her tail and thus turning off the glow.

When no one else objected to leaving, Caden, Medicham, and Dodrio grabbed the satchels, slinging them over their shoulders (or in Dodrio's case, around his middle neck).

"You sure we have everything?" Grovyle asked again as they gathered together in preparation for the Teleportation.

Alessandra nodded. "Yup."

He turned to Celebi. "Let's go."

Celebi hesitated. Grovyle was being even more brisk than usual; it didn't feel right. Why did he seem to be restricting all talk unrelated to the mission?

"Celebi." Grovyle's tone was bordering on a warning.

In a split second, Celebi reached out to Starmie's and Medicham's Psychic abilities, and, with some difficulty, pulled the group through space.


	19. The Utopian Labyrinth

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon, never have, never will, though that would be cool.**

_So I was looking through this, and I realized that the Guild kinda went... *Poof!* I can't even remember the last time we saw them o.O They would have totally gone with Grovyle and everyone. So let's just say... they were too injured to go? Or they wanted to help back around the base? Eh... XD I screwed up, oh well._

_Anyway, yes, I tried to make this long, but it wasn't as long as usual. And nope, there's NOT 99 floors (like I was expecting when I was thinking up the first drafts (screw it, THIS is the first draft XD But you should get what I mean)), it's much shorter than that. And no, they don't go in circles, they keep going forward (you'll understand what I mean). And I managed to twist my lack of description in the dungeon to my advantage! BOOYA~! Hehe. :3_

_Last note, I won't be able to start the next chapter until Monday (if I'm lucky), nor will I be able to respond to reviews until then. And, I FINALLY figured out just how I want this to end! ^_^_

**Eighteen: The Utopian Labyrinth**

They Teleported to the center of a small ravine. All around them were bleak mountains. They were standing on perhaps the only grassy space for miles; rocky bluffs pervaded everywhere else. Wide open blue skies soared above them, the breeze blissfully unaware of the tense situation unfolding.

Grovyle glanced around, gripping Saif's sword and taking in everything. There didn't appear to be any enemy Pokemon about, but you could never be sure.

Celebi floated upwards hesitatingly, looking around, biting her lip. "We never found an exact location, but it's around here somewhere… That's Mt. Travail." She pointed to a particularly large mountain that rose tall above the others, like a Fearow among Pidgey.

"It should be a tunnel entrance that we're looking for," Celebi continued. "It could be any size. Look for Unown runes; they could be around the entrance."

The Pokemon split up to look among the rocks, not straying too far from one another. Amarante stuck close to Conteur as he padded down the ravine.

"Why didn't you tell me and Tide this before?" the fox asked in a whisper for the umpteenth time, staring hard at Conteur.

The Glaceon cast the quickest glance at her before turning back to the rock face. "You wouldn't understand, nor do you want to. Please do not ask again."

Ranta's frown deepened, but she didn't ask again; she only continued to stare at him instead of at the rocks, which was what she was supposed to be doing.

"Grovyle! I think I found it!"

Quickly, everyone came to Caden's call. The Lucario was staring at something hidden from the others by a large boulder and many bushes, her aura-sensing appendages raised.

Grovyle turned the corner and his eyes widened. It looked like Unown runes had once covered a portion of the yellowish rock, but a gaping hole, black around the edges, was situated in the middle of the writing, causing it to be illegible. Darkness yawned in front of him, and it didn't seem that any light could penetrate more than three feet inside.

"There are aura traces around here," Caden muttered. "A lot of them. I think there's one that's neither one of those colorless things or…" She trailed off. "I can't really tell," she admitted. "There's too much aura overlaying it. And they were gone a while ago."

Grovyle nodded and turned around. "Celebi? Conteur?"

The two Pokemon in question approached the opening. Conteur examined the writing while Celebi touched at the burn marks. She pointed at rubble on the ground that had been previously unnoticed. "This happened somewhat recently; within the daylight hours I'd guess. Someone's gone ahead of us."

The team shifted uneasily at Celebi's words, confirming the suspicion at had aroused from Caden's.

Conteur turned around. "These runes are illegible now, but this should be the entrance."

"All right." Grovyle steeled himself. "Is everyone ready?"

Murmurs and nods of assent rose from the group, though most were quick and nervous, though determined.

Grovyle looked at each and every face, from the unfamiliar to the familiar. They were facing the absolute unknown, yet every one of them was as ready as could be. Taking a breath, Grovyle led the way into the darkness.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section One, Floor Zero**

Upon entering the dungeon of the Utopian Labyrinth, Medicham pulled out the Wonder Map, seeing the title of their location and the beginning of the floor map.

"And here we go," she said to no one in particular. She didn't let on that she had little experience of mystery dungeons.

The dungeon was somewhat dim, though a golden glow seemed to emanate from the walls, casting the Pokemons' colorings some shade of amber. The walls were rather rough; the passage was somewhat cramped, and no more than two Pokemon could walk side-by-side.

The strangest thing was… no matter how far they walked down the twists and turns, they didn't come across one Pokemon.

After minutes of tense silence, they finally emerged into an open space to see a thick column of rock connecting the floor to the ceiling. A staircase was etched into the rock, and they climbed it with great caution.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section One, Floor One**

"The section didn't change," Medicham noted, speaking as if too long a silence would drive them all mad.

This floor was the exact same as the last one in all but layout. There were no wild Pokemon, but there was silence, and time seemed to stretch for all eternity before they found the stairwell leading downstairs.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Two, Floor Zero**

Somehow, it didn't seem to register that there were floors and sections to the dungeon. In what could have been an eternity or only a few moments, the Wonder Map would change its title automatically. It was, perhaps, the only reminder that time still existed.

The rough, glowing walls twisted left, right, left…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Three, Floor Zero**

Still, no one spoke. Still, there were no wild Pokemon. It was hard to distinguish just how far they had come, or just how much time had passed. Each passage seemed exactly the same, aside from the rare occasions that they came across dead ends. Even finding the stairs didn't make much a difference in the silent, low morale.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Three, Basement Floor One**

Still, no wild Pokemon approached them. There were none to be seen or scented or heard; not even Caden could pick up a trace of any aura other than their own. Even the aura of those who had gone in before them was untraceable.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Three, Floor Zero**

By now, it was like a procession of unfeeling beings that only existed to be tense and to walk…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Four, Floor Zero**

The rough walls still gave off the amber light…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Four, Basement Floor One**

…The silence still pressed against their ears…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Five, Basement Floor One**

Continually and somewhat steadily, the Wonder Map changed its floor title as they changed between floor and section…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Five, Floor Zero**

…Not a trace of a wild Pokemon was there at all…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Six, Floor Zero**

…The amber light seemed as normal as sunlight…

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Six, Basement Floor One**

Finally, Grovyle snapped to full consciousness.

"Everyone!" he said, turning around to face them all. His voice seemed unnatural and extremely loud, and it seemed to echo down the tunnels. The others were still in the shock of sound, as if they'd never heard anything before.

"We can't be silent this whole time," Grovyle commanded almost angrily as he gripped Saif's sword. "It's making us all mad!"

Medicham piped up. "I wanted to speak several times, but I don't think that I could…"

Conteur nodded, as if everything suddenly made sense. "It might be some sort of a defense against intruders."

Dusknoir nodded as well. "There's no wild Pokemon to endanger us. We're our own enemy in the silence."

Celebi was silent for a moment longer. "If there are no wild Pokemon, then what else are they going to throw at us?"

Grovyle's face was grim. "We'll just have to see."

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Six, Floor Zero**

Now, there was no silence anymore. Quiet, meaningless conversations drifted among them, sound to keep them sane. Though the feeling went unspoken, the already tense emotion was heightening. It was an extreme challenge to keep talking.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Section Six, Floor One**

Finally, the walls began to straighten out a bit. They turned a corner, and the Wonder Map changed its title again as they looked down a dark hallway.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Floor Unknown**

The darkness didn't last forever down the straight hallway. The soft, golden light reappeared, radiating from the rough rock walls, tinting the Pokemons' colors a shade of amber once again. The ceiling was just high enough that no one had to crouch as they advanced.

Their paws, claws, and talons clicked on the scuffed stone floor, until suddenly Grovyle stopped at the head of the procession. Curiously, Celebi peeked over his shoulder at the Unown runes etched into the wall: '_Three rooms follow the dungeon, each with its own obstacle._'

Ahead of them, the tunnel sloped downward and turned sharply, suggesting some sort of a circular stair-less staircase, if that was possible. Slowly, Grovyle led the way tensely, as if every turn held an enemy. He seemed to have forgotten to keep talking.

The staircase-like tunnel was steep, and the Pokemon had to dig their claws into the smooth rock to keep from sliding (well, all but Celebi and Dusknoir). The tunnel seemed to go downward forever, but they couldn't have been going down for more than five minutes before Amarante slipped, sliding down the tunnel on her side. She knocked over Alessandra, and the two of them half slid, half tumbled down the tunnel, past Dusknoir, Celebi, and Grovyle, who all were startled at the sight of them and had no time to catch them.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Room One**

Earning a few bruises, the two finally tumbled out onto flat ground. Alessandra groaned and flipped over onto her stomach before woozily standing up, while Ranta shook herself as if to rid the dizziness.

"Sorry," the fox apologized, still dazed.

"No problem," Alessandra assured, the room spinning around her.

Hurriedly, the other Pokemon came down the spiral tunnel as fast as they could without slipping, and they circled around the two who had fallen.

"Are you okay?" Conteur asked concernedly, coming to Ranta's side.

"Yeah," the Vulpix answered slightly shortly to the Glaceon, shaking herself again and moving away from him a bit. She was still…wary of him. "Where are we?"

They had landed in a large, circular room with the same rock walls that gave off the golden light. The ceiling was higher than before, slightly dome-shaped. And, evenly spaced apart facing the circular tunnel they had just come from, were eighteen doors, each exactly the same shape and size: rounded at the top, about five feet wide, and seven feet tall. They were also made of the same material as the walls, and gave off the soft light.

Suddenly, almost hypnotically, Celebi hovered toward one of the doors on the left. Grovyle and Alessandra started after her in the same fashion, but while the Chikorita kept going, Grovyle suddenly stopped and shook his head as if to clear it, then hurried forward after Celebi, to whom the door had just swung open _by itself_.

Sunlight poured into the room from inside the door, dappled and slightly green-shaded. A summer breeze blew in, carrying a sweet scent like honey or flowers. Eyes wide with astonishment, Celebi began to float inside, but Grovyle grabbed her arm and pulled her back before pushing the door closed with all his might.

A sudden, curious sensation had overcome Ranta, and her eyes set upon a door to the right. Something seemed to tug her paws toward it, and she obeyed, knowing that something _wonderful _was behind the door, waiting for her... Something warm, she thought, as she neared it… She could almost _feel _heat now…

All of a sudden, arms wrapped tight around her and lifted her into the air. She struggled against the grip, clawing at whatever she could. Why were they keeping her from the warmth, the fire? It was right there, behind the door. Couldn't they tell?!

She heard talking, but she didn't care what they were saying. She _needed _to get into that room; she _needed _to get to the heat, the fire. Angrily, she bit down on the arm holding her. The creature holding her tensed, but only tightened its grip and took her further away from the door.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Room Two**

She was aware of a door closing shut behind them, and then her mind cleared and she stopped struggling. Relieved, Medicham dropped her, rubbing her arm.

"Your teeth are hot," she noted with a slight wince.

"Sorry," Amarante apologized at once, blinking and looking around at the other Pokemon. Most were blinking like her, regaining their senses, though a few - Grovyle and Medicham included - seemed to have already calmed down. They were in a room identical to the one before them, but no doors seemed to call out to her.

"What was that?" one of the Dodrio heads asked, looking at one of the doors warily.

"One of the defenses for the Chamber," Conteur answered, already padding along around the circumference of the room. "Didn't you see the words in the wall back there? This labyrinth isn't like other mystery dungeons. Some sections change, but the one we just came from is always the same. There were eighteen doors, and only one led onward. All the other ones were suited to the preferences of a single Type, to lure them to their room and keep them there forever. Only those with strong wills or a Treasure -- which can act like a map in here, I believe -- are immune."

Ampharos looked around the room. "There are eighteen doors here. Is it the same like the last room?" Her voice grew slightly worried, as if she were struggling to keep it under control. "Back there, I _needed _to go into one of the rooms… Now that I think about it, it's scary…"

"Only one door should go on," the Glaceon answered thoughtfully. "I'm not sure which one though, or what will happen if we open a door that doesn't lead onward."

"We won't know until we try," Dusknoir mused, floating toward the farthest door on the left. Without bothering to open the door, the Ghost poked his head through the rock for a brief moment before fully pulling back out.

"There's nothing behind here," he reported in surprise, turning to the next one.

Suddenly, the room started to spin around them. The floor stayed still while the walls spun at dangerous speeds, the doors whirling around them without a sound. Then, just as suddenly, they stopped. If you had blinked, you wouldn't have known that they had moved.

Conteur shook his head at no one in particular. "It seems here that if you open the wrong door -- or Ghost through it -- the walls spin. We'll just have to keep trying until we get the right one."

"What if we mark the doors?" Caden asked, stepping forward to inspect a door closer. She brandished the steel spike on the back of her paw and struck at the door, but her paw bounced harmlessly off of it.

"I guess we'll just have to keep guessing," Celebi mused in a sort of defeated tone.

"What about the door we came through?" Alessandra asked, whipping around to see the door behind them. "What if we can't get out?"

No one answered. Instead, Caden whipped open the door she had tried to strike to see a wall of the same golden stone as everywhere else. Immediately, the door closed itself and the walls spun again.

Grovyle frowned and opened a door. Nothing.

_Spin…_

Ampharos opened another.

_Spin…_

"This is making me dizzy," Ranta complained, trying to keep her mind off of the fact that the spinning may go on forever.

"Have an apple," Medicham offered absent-mindedly, looking at the repetitive spinning of the walls.

"Thanks." The Vulpix took the apple in her jaws and settled down to gnaw on the fruit.

"Can I have a bite?" Alessandra asked. "I'm starving."

As Alessandra and Amarante shared the apple, the others kept trying to open the correct door, but the walls kept spinning, almost ceaselessly as the minutes passed.

They almost didn't notice when the walls stopped spinning completely. Looking around, they saw Medicham staring into the doorway, a look of shock upon her face.

**The Utopian Labyrinth: Room Three**

Slowly, the others massed behind Medicham, looking around her into the next room.

In the center of the room lay the bodies of a Tyranitar, a Dragonite, and a Metagross; blood still oozed sluggishly from their wounds. The blood, red mixed with the oil-ish color of the Metagross's, was splattered just about everywhere.

"I guess this was the third obstacle," Grovyle noted finally, his voice lower than usual as he led the way into the room. "To get past them."

At the sight of the carnage, Ranta whimpered and pressed against Alessandra, who trembled slightly.

There was only one doorway in this room at the opposite end of the room, and it was taller and wider than the doors that had preceded it. Grovyle led the way around the perimeter of the room, giving the bodies a wide berth. The procession was silent; the only sound was of light breathing and the clicks of their feet on the floor.

He wondered just _who _killed these Pokemon and _how. _At least most of the blood seemed to have come from the victims, so whoever had done it must have done it quickly -- and efficiently. He held back a shudder as he came to the foot of the doorway, wondering what was waiting for them behind it.


	20. The Last Extant

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON**

_Alas, this is the last 'chapter.' Only an epiloge remains. D8 It seems like yesterday I was just beginning to write the (extremely crappy) prologue._

_First: I'm 99.9% sure that in about the... 12th paragraph or so, you might have a WTF moment. I don't really know if I was going for that, but I guess it works. Actually, more often than not here, I feel like there are a lot of WTF moments. Oh well, that can't be helped._

_Two 'new' characters are introduced, and I hope that I have portrayed them to the best of my abilities._

_Only now is it really dawning on my that I have only one more chapter to go. I feel very nostalgic and sad... Why must things end like this? It's not fair at all!_

**Nineteen: The Last Extant**

Etched into the door were more Unown runes:

'_The Chamber of the Sacred Ones.'_

The door just screamed 'endgame.' If any of them hadn't been nervous before, they were now.

Grovyle took one last look at them all: the volunteers: Dodrio, Starmie, and Ampharos, all looking determined. Medicham, her features hardened in concentration; Caden, her paws raised in a ready stance; Dusknoir, giving him a reassuring nod - how odd it was that just a while ago they'd been archenemies; Alessandra, the little Chikorita who somehow had such strength to come here - her face was resolute, though her head leaf was shivering slightly; Amarante, the youngest of them - why had she come when she was so lost already without Tide? Why did Conteur urge for her to come? The Glaceon in question wasn't moving a muscle, only staring at the door unwaveringly. Finally, there was Celebi. The pink Time Traveler was staring at him, concern very apparent in her eyes, as well as a hint of apprehension.

Grovyle tried to smile at them all reassuringly, but it came out more like a grimace, and he nodded to them to cover it. Taking a deep breath, he, Dusknoir, and Caden pulled the gigantic door ajar.

As soon as they had all entered, the door slammed shut behind them of its own accord. The sound didn't make much of an echo as it should have in the pitch blackness, for the room _felt_ very large.

"The aura-it's-" Caden gasped just before the blackness suddenly disappeared in the wake of the light.

The room was much larger than the ones that preceded it, with a large cone-like dome for a ceiling. But this was not the first thing they noticed as the rocks seemed to come to life with light.

Surrounding them were about fifty of the colorless Pokemon. They stood at the sides of the circular room across from each other, all sorts of different sizes and species.

In the middle of the room, standing next to a sort of white-marble-like circle, was a Pokemon. It was black, with a sort of red collar on the top of its chest, with one blue eye smoldering at them from under a mane of smoke-like white hair. Toothpick-thin legs protruded gracefully from its waist, and it looked deadly. But it made no move - it seemed to… shudder slightly? As if it was being restrained but couldn't quite decide between fight or flight.

But what made Grovyle's eyes widen, caused Dusknoir to tense, and Celebi to gasp was the creature standing behind the marble-like circle in the stone floor. It had the palest skin, almost white, with odd golden eyes, whose shadows were dark and seemingly unfeeling. Dark hair fell around its face, a silk cloak wrapped about its shoulders that's end feel to the floor in a small heap. Black cloths that matched the cloak covered its torso and legs, and the same material covered its feet, if not more delicate.

It was a human that was nearly glowering at them. _A human._

It - he, by the sound of his voice - spoke first.

"I was wondering when you would show up."

His voice was ice cold, nearly grating against the eardrum like scratches on skin. But yet, it didn't sound like he was reprimanding them; only like they had cost him a small setback. In just one sentence that they could understand even though it was another language entirely, the human conveyed that he was going to treat them like the intelligent enemies they were to him.

As if he had suddenly found his voice, Grovyle shouted, "Who are you?"

The human chuckled, sending everyone else's nerves haywire with the amused sound as he closed his eyes. "I haven't gone by my birth name in a while, but I suppose you could call me Derek."

At first, Grovyle could only stare. Then, he tensed even further. The human_ could understand them._

"Now," Derek suddenly continued, snapping his eyes open to glare at them. "One of you should have the last Treasure, if my hunch is correct. I would like it very much if you would hand it over before I have to take it by force. But better that than this be postponed with more searching."

No one moved. No one seemed to breathe. The only sound was from the hammering in Grovyle's ears.

Acting on a sudden whim, Grovyle stepped forward. Celebi gasped at his sudden movement, but didn't do anything else.

"Before we give it to you, we want information," Grovyle declared, leering right back at the human. "Who are you?"

Though looking obviously annoyed, Derek smirked. "I already told you my name. What more could you want?" He chuckled again, and then answered his own question. "No, your friend wasn't the last human. I am. Derek, the direct descendant of the humans of Darkness and Ghost."

Dusknoir came forward this time. "How can you understand us?" His voice was laced with hostility.

The human shrugged, as if the conversation was nothing more important than the weather. "I suppose it's in my blood, that I can understand the Darks and Ghosts. But the Treasures give me more power."

As if his words triggered it, Grovyle was suddenly aware of the hollows in the rock walls, all equidistant from each other and the middle of the room, connected to the middle by a line of the white marble-like rock. Emblems of the Types above pedestals where glowing items sat, unable to be recognized from where Grovyle was. There were sixteen of the glowing items.

"So much power," Derek continued, "that I can deceive you, keep you busy while I work. Hmph, you thought it was more trouble with time that caused the Pokemon to become Grey… Oh, not that you really know what that term is." He laughed again, his voice high and cold. He pointed to them. "I'll introduce you. Restrain them."

All at once, a good portion of the colorless Pokemon (no more than twenty) rushed forward and grabbed them. Dusknoir attempted to phase out of grip, but an Electric Type hit him with a Thunder Wave and he became immobile, only capable of glaring silently as the others struggled against their confines. Ranta scampered away a few yards from them before a Grey Houndour pounced on her and held her down. Celebi was about to try to Teleport, but a sudden puff of Stun Spore caused her to become fixed in place. No one could get free.

Grovyle struggled to wrench himself free from the grips of a Blaziken and an Infernape, but the Blaziken struck his leg and he fell onto one knee with a hiss of pain. He dropped the sword, and the Infernape kicked it away, the blade stopping just a few feet in front of Ranta.

"Darkrai." The human snapped his fingers. "Find the Treasure. If they don't have it we'll have to search even longer."

The Dark Pokemon with the whitish hair seemed to retract its legs into its body as it glided forward, its blue eye surveying them almost cruelly. It sailed right up to Dodrio and stripped the satchel off of its neck, the bird letting out a cry of pain as it temporarily stopped struggling against its confines.

Darkrai rifled through the bag almost angrily before carelessly tossing it aside to turn to Caden.

"Why do you want it?" Caden asked the human, oddly not struggling against the two Machamp that held her as Darkrai grabbed her pack and searched it. "What do you have to gain from this?"

Derek's eyes narrowed. "I will make Arceus suffer like he has made my kind suffer. He could have saved my race, but he chose to do _nothing_."

Caden frowned and tipped her head to the side, her eyes full of pity. "What a poor soul," she whispered, seeming to see something that the others couldn't.

He turned his attention to his servant, not hearing the Lucario's words. "Check everything. These fools wouldn't know a Treasure if it was right under there noses."

"What makes you think we have what you want?" Medicham demanded as Darkrai snatched her pack.

"My Grey came up short when they were searching," Derek explained, looking awfully enraged at the memory. "If it's not with you, it could be anywhere. I'd rather not have to wait any longer."

Darkrai dropped Medicham's satchel and looked around at the other Pokemon, as if they might be hiding another bag. When it didn't see another one, it turned back to Medicham.

"Where is it?" it hissed, its voice revealing it to be male, catching her eyes in his blue one so that she could not look away for the fear that had overtaken her. When she didn't respond, he grabbed her neck; he was about to squeeze with his deathlike hand when he realized that there was something else around her neck. He clutched at the pouch in something like desperation, and hacked at the string.

Medicham seemed to suddenly regain her voice. "Give that back! My father gave me that!" She writhed against the Crawdaunt and Breloom that held her arms in viselike grips.

Darkrai ignored her and ripped the pouch open. His eye widened.

"Master, I found it!" he exclaimed as he rushed to the human's side, holding the pouch as if actually touching the thing inside it would burn him.

"Give me that!" Derek snapped, seizing the pouch as Medicham continued to verbally protest. Ignoring the sound, he pulled out the Treasure. The sight of it made Medicham quiet.

It was shaped like an enlarged, crystallized snowflake that fit in the palm of the human's hand. If one were to look at it up close, they would see white lines in the clear crystal, like little veins.

Derek brought the Treasure up to his eyes and turned it slowly. "Ah, here: _Ian_, it says, the human of the Ice Types." Even though he had said he was in a hurry, he turned it over again in his fingers. All of a sudden, the Treasure glowed softly and levitated an inch off of his hand, gyrating unhurriedly.

"Very few Pokemon can use its power," Derek continued, "but the Ice Treasure reveals the soul as clear as if it were made-"

He broke off suddenly, his mouth slightly agape. The Treasure had stopped gyrating above his hand and now levitated perfectly still.

"Master?" Darkrai inquired, becoming nervous. "What is the matter?"

Derek was silent for a moment more, and then spoke. "The Treasure… shows that the Vulpix is carting a soul. A human."

Grovyle stiffened, the gears of his brain clicking into place. Was this why Conteur had wanted to bring Amarante? Because she was carting a-

His thoughts almost ceased for a moment when the word 'human' sunk in. Did human mean… Olivia…?

Before he could turn to look at Amarante, however, Derek continued, his voice almost as rigid as his stance. "Your gift will be of help, Darkrai. The Vulpix is of no use. Once it is dead I can use the Treasures to trap the soul." His features tightened and the Ice Treasure flew from his hand to a hollow in the wall, where it glowed brighter than before.

Suddenly, light pulsed down the lines of the marble-like substance to the circle, and the floor inside the circle opened. Another pedestal of the white marble rose up, a sphere pulsing with innumerable colors perched on top of it. An eighteenth Treasure.

Ranta whimpered a second before he snapped his fingers.

"Aqua Jet, Empoleon," Derek commanded. "Kill it."

The Grey Houndour jumped off of Amarante and the other Grey Pokemon that weren't holding back the others parted to show the only colored Pokemon among them. It had wings laced with steel and a triple-horned crown on its face, all uncharacteristically more grayish than as per usual with the species. A second before it took off in its attack, the Empoleon's enraged, maddened eyes met Amarante's.

"Tide!" she called in disbelief, scrambling to her paws.

But her call went unheard by the Empoleon. His body became enveloped in water, and he launched himself off of the floor with his strong webbed flippers.

"No!" With an unknown strength, Grovyle wrenched himself free from the Blaziken and Infernape (who made no move to stop him at some sort of silent order from the human) and met the Empoleon's Aqua Jet with his two Leaf Blades, bringing the Emperor Pokemon to a sudden and jarring halt felt from both sides.

"Don't, Tide!" Grovyle pleaded, his arms straining with the effort of keeping his friend still. If Ranta had not said his name, Grovyle didn't think he would have ever noticed the slight speck of light behind the madness in the Empoleon's eyes… "Don't do it! He doesn't control you! Amarante's your friend, remember?"

The Empoleon didn't answer, only pushed harder with his wings against Grovyle's Leaf Blade attack.

Derek scoffed. "You think that's still your _friend_? You think it _remembers _you?" He laughed a cold, harsh sound of dark amusement. "The memories of you belong to someone else, the one you call 'Tide.' This is not him. This is mine."

The human's words sent a shiver through Grovyle, but he refused to believe it. "Tide!" he shouted into the Empoleon's face, pushing harder so that he seemed to be gaining the advantage. "Listen to me!"

"Darkrai caught that for me," Derek continued, as if Grovyle hadn't interrupted him. "He says that it was all too easy; he simply had to alter its consciousness to see and hear things that no one else saw… Such as a 'shamanic Umbreon.'" He laughed again. "That thing is strong, but it is an idiot, to be possessed by such longing for another that it will believe anything."

"Can't you hear what he says?" Grovyle asked, now gritting his teeth at the struggle. "He doesn't care about you. I don't know what he did to you, but you need to regain your sen-!"

He broke off with a hiss of pain as the Empoleon suddenly sliced downward, his wing slashing Grovyle's stomach. This distraction was all that was needed for the Empoleon to swat him away and launch his Aqua Jet attack again.

Time seemed to slow for Amarante. Fear coursed through her: this was not her Tide. This was not her friend. This was some sort of a demon. Her eyes darted from his to the weapon that lay in front of her on the floor.

In a split-second act of survival in which Amarante's muscles seemed to act of their own accord, she darted downward and grasped the Leaf Blade sideways in her jaws, then, with all the strength she could muster, she stabbed upward with it, somehow piercing the Empoleon's armor.

The Empoleon's momentum kept it hurtling, taking Ranta with him as they tumbled over the stone floor, oily blood mixing with scalding red and water as they progressed. Finally, Tide hit the wall and slumped to the floor, a sopping wet Ranta landing beside him.

She hurt. Being scuffed along the floor by steel and being crushed by his weight made her bleed and had probably broken a few bones. She heard someone yell her name, but it sounded muted. Weakly, she lifted her head from the wet floor and looked at Tide. He was breathing, but very rapidly, as if he couldn't get enough air. He was struggling, as if something were weighing him down; blood spurted out of his wound, the blade still somehow embedded in his armor.

Even as she watched, his breathing slowed, and his jerks grew less frequent. At last, both stopped altogether. Amarante's last coherent thought was that he looked peaceful with his eyes closed.

Then the blackness swooped over her.

* * *

Grovyle froze, halfway to a standing position, blood oozing out of the wound on his stomach.

_No…_

Every molecule inside him was screaming that it wasn't true, that his eyes were lying to him. But the evidence was there, as plain as anything. Tide was dead, felled by Saif's sword, killed in self-defense by Amarante, who lay beside him. Grovyle didn't know if she was unconscious or gone.

_I…I failed… I couldn't protect him. It was the last thing I could do for her… I've failed the both of them…_

The feeling of failure and grief grasped his insides with icy talons, but he refused to let it show. Instead, he turned, still crouched, to face something that he had never known could truly exist: an evil human.

A look of utter disgust was upon Derek's face. "You lied, Darkrai. It _was_ useless."

An unspeakable rage burst within Grovyle, and before he knew what he was doing, he was running flat-out toward the human, the leaves on his arms glowing as he prepared to attack.

Derek didn't move; he only stood still as Darkrai dashed in front of him to block Grovyle's attack with a sort of dark protective barrier.

Enraged, Grovyle didn't even realize that Celebi shouted his name, or that the others were beginning to fight against their captors with renewed vigor. He used his Leaf Blades to slash repeatedly at the barrier. He had never felt so infuriated before. He wanted the blood of the guilty to be spilled, not the blood of the innocent. Not anymore.

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and the orb in the center pulsed even more rapidly, its swirling contents glowing vibrantly. All fighting paused as they stared at the orb, mesmerized by the palpable power that radiated from it.

The human smiled, a wild, demonic look in his eyes. "Finally… I can call Arceus soon…"

"No!" Grovyle attempted to dart around Darkrai, but the Pitch-Black Pokemon grasped his arm, and a sudden weariness swept over him. _Sleep…_

A sudden tolling sound cut through his consciousness, and he wrenched his arm away from Darkrai, then turned around for a split second to give Celebi a grateful nod. Darkrai made to grab at him again, but Grovyle grasped the Dark Type's arm and Absorbed his energy, thankful for the excess power that partially healed the wound on his stomach.

Even more suddenly than the shaking of the ground, a golden light nearly blinded them all. Reeling backward in the unexpected warmth and shielding his eyes, Grovyle knew instantly that this light was not coming from the orb. Squinting, he peered at the source of the light, all the way back to where Tide and Amarante lay…

A sphere of golden light was slowly floating in the air towards the center of the room. It was pure and awe-inspiring, something much too beautiful to describe in words. In what could have been a thousand years or merely a heartbeat, it approached Derek, whose eyes were wide with astonishment. His eyes narrowed, and he looked as if he might have tried to reach out and grasp the sphere if it hadn't moved out of his reach.

The sphere flew right past Darkrai and hovered in front of Grovyle's nose, and he suddenly felt both elated and depressed at the same time. He knew just what this sphere was, and he had a good guess at what it was about to do. He wanted to plead for it to stay, but like so many times before, he swallowed the urge and merely nodded, wishing for a heartbeat that he could be more selfish.

The sphere was still for another moment, and a silent communication occurred between them. Then it flew gracefully back to the center of the chamber, enlarging itself as it went.

Two light sources, one rainbow, one golden, vied for control for an instant before the golden sphere engulfed the orb. The resulting light was uncontaminated whiteness, and Grovyle had to cover his eyes again for fear of becoming blind.

The rumbling of the chamber stopped, and the light vanished. Opening his eyes, Grovyle saw that both the orb and the sphere had disappeared. More grief clutched at his heart, but he pushed it away to confront it later.

The silence that had persisted for so long unnoticed was broken by Derek's scream of fury.

Suddenly, the shaking came back, much, much more violently than before. The Treasures glowed with a strange ferocity, and suddenly the Grey Pokemon all fell to the ground, never to get up again.

A pebble and a few specks of dust dropped past Grovyle's nose.

"Get out!" he roared, realizing what was happening. "Get everyone and _get out!_"

Boulder-sized rocks began to rain from the ceiling as his teammates scattered to the door. He made to run after them, but a sudden yell made him turn around to see Derek sprawled on the floor, his legs pinned by a large stone, blood pooling out from under it.

He froze, not knowing what to do. In a panic, Darkrai grabbed at his arm, and the world went dark, and he could only hear voices.

"_Take him, Darkrai, take him," pleaded a human voice, a female. A rustle indicated her passing something to the Pokemon._

"_But Mistress-"_

"_Take him!" she insisted, her voice desperate. "It's an order, Darkrai; take care of him. The sickness-" she broke off with a cough._

_Grovyle could imagine Darkrai shaking his head. "I cannot take your son away from you. I cannot leave you."_

"_It's an order!" she snarled. "Go!"_

_Darkrai's reluctance was palpable, but Grovyle sensed him leave nevertheless._

_Mental images started to flash past Grovyle's eyes: of Darkrai helping a young boy through the woods, helping him to collect food. Helping him collect information on his ancestors, each day becoming more stressful for the Pokemon as the boy grew more domineering. But loyalty to his mistress's blood kept Darkrai from abandoning the boy, from abandoning his duty._

_**Please,**__ Darkrai's voice begged when the darkness came again, __**I cannot fail my mistress. She trusted me with my master's life. Please…**_

Darkrai relinquished his hold on Grovyle, and Grovyle regained his senses. Stunned, he met Darkrai's blue eye and saw the helplessness in it.

This wasn't a violent Pokemon. This was merely a Pokemon caught up in the wishes of his master, forced to watch him for the boy's mother's sake; her final wish, her final command. He was doing it for the human who had been the kindest to him…

Grovyle dashed forward, using his keen senses to evade the falling rocks. He grasped at the stone pinning the human and pushed, Darkrai joining him less than a second later. The boy screamed in protest at both the pain and the help from Grovyle, but in his state he couldn't do more than yell; with each passing moment, they grew less powerful, and his face became even more pallid…

"Grovyle!" A hand grasped Grovyle's shoulder; he turned to see Dusknoir there. The Gripper Pokemon shook his head, and tried to pull Grovyle away from the too-heavy boulder.

Grovyle tore his arm away. "I can't leave. Not yet."

He matched Dusknoir's unspoken challenge with his eyes, glaring into Dusknoir's single red one. But before either one could back down, a terrible, earsplitting crack sounded from directly overhead. Looking up, Grovyle froze when he saw a jagged rock, seemingly the size of a Snorlax, beginning to fall from the disintegrating ceiling…

Suddenly, Dusknoir grabbed him, and an odd sensation formed in the pit of Grovyle's stomach as darkness fell in around his vision, though this darkness was not like that caused by Darkrai. After barely a second, it dissolved, and Grovyle found himself standing at the edge of the chamber, next to the door, Dusknoir beside him. Vaguely, Grovyle realized that Dusknoir must have used the move Shadow Sneak.

The rock was still falling from the ceiling. In a panic, Darkrai shot a Dark Pulse at it, but only managed to chip the stone slightly. Eye widening, Darkrai cast the dark protection barrier around himself and his charge, refusing to flee.

The vibration of the impact caused even more rocks to fall from the ceiling, dust filling the air. Stunned, Grovyle let Dusknoir pull him through the open door.

* * *

There must have been some sort of odd space-time anomaly in the dungeon (odder than most) because one moment Grovyle was seeing the rock-strewn chamber, and the next, he was seeing the darkness that led into the Labyrinth without the need of an Exploration Badge.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sun shone with a warmth that felt alien. How could the world be so normal after it nearly ended?

"Grovyle!"

Celebi tackled him and hugged him around his neck, but part of him barely noticed. He stared into the darkness; was that a vibration he felt in the ground, or was that just his imagination?

When Celebi released him, he turned around. Ampharos, Starmie, and Dodrio were resting a few paces away, each of their expressions one of utter disbelief as they struggled to grasp what they had just seen. Dusknoir's arms were bleeding badly, as were Celebi's. Conteur and Alessandra were crowded around Caden, who held the limp form of Amarante. Grovyle stared at the pitiful pile of blood and fur, and was startled to see the faintest rise and fall of her chest. If he was able to speak, he would have ordered they begin to force-feed her Oran Berries, but he realized that they already were.

Medicham was kneeling on the ground, shivering, her back to the rest of the group; she was well away from everyone else. Unconsciously, Grovyle's feet propelled him toward her, and he stopped a foot or so behind her, waiting for her to speak.

Medicham shuddered. Her breathing was ragged. "I-I'm sorry, Grovyle… I know that you must've… known that Empoleon… but…" She shifted, and Grovyle thought he saw something glint in the light.

"I…I couldn't take it and him back. I had to choose." Slowly, she turned her head around; her arm moved, and Grovyle saw that she was grasping the bloody blade of Saif's sword.

Grovyle saw the apprehension in her eyes. He paused, then nodded, and she visibly relaxed. He didn't exactly approve of her actions, but he knew why she did them.

He looked around at all of them, realizing that they were all lucky to be alive. He turned his gaze to the mountain, and pangs of loss filled him. Humans were now truly extinct, a loyal servant had been lost, and he had failed a friend. Failed _two _friends. With another pang, he realized that he hadn't told Tide that he was sorry.

Wanting nothing more than to not feel alone, he accepted Celebi's outstretched hand.

* * *

_One last chapter to go._

_If you have any questions or feel like something in the story hasn't been quite wrapped up, please say so now so I can make sure it's in the epiloge._


	21. Epilogue

For the last time in this story, I get to say, "I do not own Pokemon."

_D8 It's the last chapter, the epiloge. I never felt like it would come this fast. I feel nostalgic! T.T I hope I pulled everything together. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask, and remember, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO REVIEW. :P_

_It feels like yesterday I was thinking up this story. Wow. A lot of things happened that I never planned, like Derek, he wasn't in my mind when I was beginning this at all, only Darkrai. Originally, Darkrai was completely evil, too! And Medicham didn't exist either, nor Alessandra (Thank you, Legendary Fairy, for giving me the basis for her!). But I'm glad the story turned out like this._

_I'm giving all of you who reviewed a special thank you for keeping my writing spirit up (another thanks to Legendary Fairy :P). More thanks to those who favorited, followed, or are just plain reading this long after I've finished (and yes, I mean you O.O *epicstare* ;D). Without you, this story would not have been finished. I luff you all for that_333

_... IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER! *epicly cries* D8 I luff all my characters *pats them all but kisses Grovyle on the head* Only just the other night I realized I couldn't write from Tide's POV again. I wanted to cry. *huggles Tide* You poor baby Tide but I had to kill you, hope there's no hard feelings. XD Oh well, I'll send Tide to StarClan (hehe, Warriors reference xD), he'll be happy there._

_And now, it's time for you to finish, if ya wish :P_

**Epilogue**

In the days that followed, various meetings were held with the leaders of the tribes who were staying at the Base. Slowly but surely, they were reassured that the calamity had ended, and within the week, most had migrated back to their homes, leaving a small fraction remaining. Compared to before, the Base seemed to echo with every step taken in the silence.

First, Grovyle had approached Wigglytuff and Chatot alone and explained the details of the mission. After letting the information that Tide was dead sink in for a moment, he quietly added that Celebi would take them back to their time whenever they were ready. He was about to leave them when Wigglytuff spoke, his voice uncharacteristically thick with tears.

"May we have a funeral here before we leave?"

The question surprised Grovyle, and it was a second before he nodded.

The memorial was not held for just Tide, but all those who had died in the battle against the Grey as well; a small number of those who had fought had met the same fate as Saif. Every Pokemon present in the Base was there, even Amarante, whose back legs were still mending after being broken and were tied in bandages, and if she ever had to leave the sickbay, Alessandra and Caden were always with her, due to the fact that she had to be carried. She had hardly spoken since she had woken up, just a little over a day after they came back.

Conteur stood in the middle of the main hall. He took a long look around at every single Pokemon, his eyes pausing slightly on Amarante, then spoke. It was a story of an unknown Pokemon emerging from an Egg and growing up, learning from its parents and friends how to survive. As it grew, it even gained a mate; but the bliss of love was short-lived, for a war had sprung up, and it had willingly gone into battle for its family. It never came back.

The story brought tears to some Pokemons' eyes, but some had grief that went beyond crying. Celebi glided forward, perhaps more solemn than Grovyle had ever seen her. She closed her eyes in concentration, and with a slight groan, the living wood walls were etched with giant words, one half in footprint runes, the other in Unown. Each had the same message: _Protection is One of the Greatest Gifts One Can Give._

Celebi exhaled, and small flowers in a rainbow of bright colors appeared at the edge of the floor where the circular walls joined it, and a soft fragrance pervaded the air. Slowly, she blinked open her eyes and she hovered back into the circle, where there was silence for a moment. Finally, as if resigned, Grovyle walked into the middle and spoke only two words.

"Thank you."

* * *

The two female Pokemon looked at each other in the dim light. One was at the door, the other across the room at the elevator. Each held something; the first, a cloth-wrapped object, held as carefully as a newborn, though still in an iron grip. The second held an Egg with a magnificent green, white, and red pattern both graceful arms and strong Psychic protection.

The first's hands were sweating, drenching the cloth. Surely the second would reprimand her and take away her only wish, like she had done before she had even met her.

The second's eyes were filled with many emotions, all pulsing from her mind directly to the first's. She wanted her to know just what she felt, to know that, even though he was gone, he belonged to her; but all the same, she wished there didn't have to be any bitter feelings between them. She knew that the first was receiving the thoughts, but was still afraid of having her last memento taken.

Slowly, Seul nodded. Before she could change her mind, Medicham dashed out the door with her only remaining treasure and left, never to walk any path that could take her back here again.

* * *

"So… How do you think they managed to evolve him?" Dusknoir asked, looking over his shoulder from where he stood at the bookshelf. "With that Treasure magic, right?"

Grovyle paused in his combing of his shelf and gave the Gripper Pokemon an odd look. "…I suppose so."

There had been much speculation over the events that had transpired. Most of what they could figure felt like elaborate guesswork, but it was, perhaps, the only way they could know what had happened.

For one, the Grey in the Chamber had not fallen at Celebi's Heal Bell because they were in close proximity to the Treasures and the Treasures' user, or that, in the entire time that Grovyle had known Olivia as a human, she had no idea that she wasn't the last one. But some things just couldn't be guessed.

Now, Dusknoir and Grovyle were in the library, looking at the numerous books, trying to further their guesswork, but they knew it was fruitless. But the Base's halls, for what felt like the first time, were clear of Pokemon in need, and nothing needed to be attended to.

Grovyle fingered the spine of a particularly Growlithe-eared book, studying each and every crack in the leather. "…I think I tried to save that human because Olivia would have wanted me to," he admitted out of the blue.

Dusknoir frowned, as well as one could without a facial mouth. "Do you think Tide would have done that?"

Grovyle was silent, sifting the thoughts in his mind, trying to match the question with his memories. It took longer than usual, but he thought he found an answer. "He would have, if she wanted him to. He would have done anything for her… except to live without her."

The already somber air turned a few degrees colder, and neither one spoke nor looked at each other.

Suddenly, the elevator opened, and Alessandra hopped out.

"Conteur's leaving!" she blurted.

* * *

"I'm leaving, little one," Conteur breathed to Amarante.

The two stood alone in the main hall at the entrance. Ranta's back legs had healed, and the only remnants of the past were patches of fuzzy new fur in her coat and a few scars that would never completely heal.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her head tipped to the side and her voice quieter than normal from lack of use.

"I'm going to travel again," the Glaceon answered. "It's what I've always done. It's not in my nature to stay in one place."

The Vulpix hesitated. "Can you tell me now?"

She didn't have to explain further. Conteur sighed and smiled sadly. "I can't explain to you how I know this fully, but what I told you before about my dream was enough. You see, Pokemon have powers that humans don't have in life, but in death, human spirits are stronger than ours. For the last human to be stopped, a human had to… sacrifice themselves." He hesitated. "Olivia's spirit was put inside you so that could happen. But if I had told you and Tide as well… I was afraid he might have done something… drastic."

Amarante blinked, trying to let the words sink in. After a moment, she decided to think about it later - it confused her too much now. Instead, she asked, "What happened to her?"

"Olivia?" He paused. "I believe she moved on."

"Did Tide move on, too?"

Conteur blinked. He crouched down so that his face was level with hers. "Little one… How do you feel now, after all this?"

She paused, thinking. "Lighter. My paws feel lighter when I walk."

"Then I think Tide's with her." Conteur straightened up, and his voice changed its tone slightly. "Now, you have two choices. Wigglytuff's Guild hasn't left for the past yet; you can still go with them. Or, you can stay here. You're old enough to make your own decisions - you're tail's fully split and colored."

Before Amarante could answer, the elevator opened, and Grovyle, Dusknoir, Caden, Alessandra, and Celebi hurried out. Alessandra dashed to the Vulpix's side, still concerned about her legs. The others crowded around her as well, offering goodbyes to the Glaceon.

He dipped his head to them, and then turned and nosed open the door and left - no one would ever see him again.

Amarante pressed against Alessandra's side, looking at all of her friends - her family.

"I'm staying here."

* * *

_**A few weeks later…**_

The nursery was crowded with Pokemon jostling for a position closer to the nest. Grovyle stood on his toes to see around Dusknoir, who was trying to see around Caden, while Celebi hovered over them all. Outside the window, the sky was darkening toward twilight, the orange sun ablaze in sunset.

Amarante, being the youngest and smallest, had squirmed to the front, right up next to the Egg, beside Seul. The Gardevoir was smiling broadly, though her eyes were tinged with sadness.

The Egg was glowing, growing brighter with every moment. Cracks were appearing in the shell as it rocked back and forth, shuddering as the creature inside it struggled to come out.

Amarante's eyes were fixated on the Egg. She'd never seen a hatching; the only one she had attended was her own, and technically, she couldn't see her own hatching.

With a final shudder, the Egg burst apart in a blast of light, and a creature tumbled out onto her paws; despite the shock, she didn't flinch away.

"Taro!" the Ralts cried. He looked up at Amarante and blinked wide eyes at her. "H-hello."

She smiled. "Hello, Taro. I'm Amarante, but you can call me Ranta."

Alessandra pushed her way up to her side. "I'm Alessandra!"

Taro appeared startled at the sudden appearance, but before he could react he was scooped up into his mother's arms. "Welcome, Taro," she greeted sweetly.

Amarante smiled, her heart warmed by the sight of a mother and child. For a split moment, she wondered what it would be like to have one, to be totally responsible for another creature. Judging by the look on the Gardevoir's face, she guessed it was wonderful.

Suddenly, something caught her eye, and her head whipped to look at the window.

Her gaze met Grovyle's, and she knew that he had seen a shadow, too. She smiled, and turned back to the newborn.

Grovyle's gaze flicked back to the window.

_Do either of you forgive me? _he thought, staring hard at all he could at the outside world, half hoping that they didn't, and half hoping that they did. _After I failed you? _

As if in response, the appearing stars winked.


End file.
